


With A Start

by hedwig4evr



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 8th year, Anal, Angst, Blow Jobs, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Frotting, M/M, Slow Build, Wand lore, accidental bond, remodeling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-22
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-04-27 15:29:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 82,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5054074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hedwig4evr/pseuds/hedwig4evr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry Potter has decided that his 18th year will be the best year ever.  He is 'new and improved' now that he has come out to his friends, gotten a whole new wardrobe, and decided that he doesn't really want to become an Auror.  He needs to finish his education, though, so back to Hogwarts he goes.  But, what happens when Draco Malfoy starts joining him in the library to study?  And on his weekends?  And in the common room?  And he starts worming his way into Harry's heart and mind?  Harry isn't as prepared for the rest of his life as he thought.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. It's Over

**Author's Note:**

> Sadly, I am not our Queen, Jo Rowling. I do not own these characters; just wanted to hang out in their world for a little bit!
> 
>  
> 
> So, this is my very first time to write a fanfic. This will start out very slow, and then pick up speed later on. At this point, it will go from the morning Harry wakes up after the battle, and go until at least his 19th Birthday. The plan is to update once a week.
> 
> Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading
> 
> ~B.

Harry woke with a start.  He blearily reached over to the night stand for his glasses and his watch.  After putting on the glasses, he looked to see what time it was.  It was 7:20.  AM or PM, he didn’t know.  Glancing out the window didn’t help him much, either.  As he became aware of his surroundings, memories of the night before started coming back.

 _It’s over_ , he thought.  _It is actually over._

Another memory came back to him and, smiling, he reached under his pillow and brought out his Phoenix wand.  It warmed at his touch and he knew—everything was just as it should be.

At that moment, his stomach grumbled, and he realized that he must have slept for more than a few hours.  He got out of bed, glancing around the room at the other four-posters.  Seemed like a lifetime ago that he was here with his friends.  Finding some clean clothes lain on the end of the bed, he quietly thanked Kreacher for thinking of him. 

Deciding it wouldn’t hurt anything, he quickly took a shower and then went to see who he would find in the Common Room.  Descending the spiral staircase, his ears were assaulted by a loud “HARRY!” and a blur of ginger and brunette heads were seen as Ginny and Hermione both launched themselves at him.  The three of them stood like that for a bit, until Ron came and wrapped his arms around them all.

Smiles were on everyone’s faces as the group released each other, and Harry took in the scene around him.  Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were seated on one of the couches by the fire, with Percy perched on the arm closest to his mother.  Neville was sitting on the ground, next to where Ginny had just come from.  Luna was sitting cross legged on the window sill, next to a mournful George.  Harry’s heart leapt to his throat when his eyes locked with the glassy pair that belonged to the man.

He shook himself, and turned to Ron.

“How long was I asleep?”

“About 33 hours, mate,” Ron responded.  “We knew you needed it, so we just let you be.  Well, Hermione went and checked to make sure you were still breathing a few times,” he lightly laughed.

“I just wanted to see if he was awake yet, or not!”

“No one is saying that it’s a bad thing, love,” Ron said to her, as he kissed her blushed cheek.

Seeing his best friends _together_ was going to take some getting used to, but Harry was so happy that they were happy.  He glanced over at Ginny, who looked adoringly at her brother and friend.  He knew they were going to have to have a conversation soon, and started feeling a little sick at the prospect.

“So, I’ve been out for over a day.  What has happened?  What do I need to do?”

Arthur stood up, and came over to stand in front of Harry, clasping his shoulders.  “The only thing you _need_ to do is know that it is over, and that you only have to worry about yourself for now.  However, a lot has happened already.  Kingsley has been named Interim Minister of Magic.  Aurors have been crawling the castle since just after you fell asleep, trying to gather all of the--,” he hesitated briefly.  “The dead, and has started locating their next of kin.”

Harry felt as though his insides were coming undone.   He didn’t want to even think of how many lives were lost because of him.  He was the cause of all of this, and suddenly he couldn’t stand up any longer.  He moved so he could sit in a chair, but before he could actually press himself into it, Ron and Hermione were beside him, holding him up.

“Harry, don’t even think it,” Ron growled.

“Think what?” he responded.

“Harry, we know you.  We know that look.  This is _not_ your fault,” Hermione said as she tugged at his arm.

“Hermione, this is--,”

“No, it is not.  You may have been the only one to stop it, but this is not on you.  Voldemort was the cause of all this, and you stopped him from making it far worse than it is.  Because of you, more people are _alive._   You could not have done anything any sooner than what occurred.  Do I make myself clear?”

“She is absolutely right, Mr. Potter.”

Harry turned around at the sound of Professor McGonagall speaking.

“This is Voldemort’s doing, not yours.  There is much to be done, though, and I know you will not be able to sit still and let others do the work, so I might as well inquire if you would be willing to help.”

Blushing lightly at the fact that his head of house knew him so well, he nodded at her.  “Anything you need of me, Professor, I’m willing.  However, there are a couple of things I need to do first.”

Receiving inquiring looks from those around him, Harry turned and quickly went back up to the dorm.  Coming back down the stairs holding three wands, the others quickly understood what he meant.

“This isn’t mine, and I believe it needs to be returned to its rightful owner,” he said holding up the Elder wand.  Then, glancing down at the Hawthorne wand, he said, “and this is Draco’s.  I’m tired of the fighting and animosity, so I’d like to give this back, as well.”

“The Malfoy’s have been arrested and are currently being held at the Ministry.  They willingly gave themselves up, but we will have to wait and see if that will mean much when they go to trial,” McGonagall said.

“Oh,” Harry responded.  He held the wand tightly, still feeling the allegiance it resonated with him.  “I’ll just keep it safe, then.”  He felt a tug in his stomach at the thought of Draco Malfoy sitting in a cell, and then chastised himself at the thought.  This was _Malfoy_ he was talking about.  What should he care what happened to the git?  Seven years of fighting and snide comments, and now he was worried about the ferret?  Something must be wrong with his head.

“Well, what’s first, Professor?”

“Well…”

“What?” Harry got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach from the look on her face and tone of voice.  This was not going to be pleasant, he had a suspicion.

“Well, there is a crowd of reporters in the great hall, wondering where you have been hiding since…the event.”

“Oh, hell.”  Harry hated reporters with every fibre of his being.

“Language, Mr Potter,” McGonagall said.

Harry looked sheepishly up at her.  “Sorry, Professor.  It’s just…”  He knew he would have to speak to the press at some point, and while it would be better that it be sooner rather than later, he still wasn’t too keen on the idea.  “What do I say?” he asked the room in general.

The next few minutes were spent coming up with a statement that Harry could read to the press.  They decided that he would mention a few details of what the trio had been doing the last few months before the end of the war, and also a bit about the Elder wand.

When they finished, Harry decided now was as good as any, and started down to the Great Hall; McGonagall went ahead and readied the press.  As Harry walked in, he was assaulted by flashbulbs and his name being called from a dozen different directions.  A _Sonorus_ later, and he was addressing the gathered mass of people.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

“I can’t believe the nerve of that woman,” Hermione grumbled as they made their way down to the lake.  “She is the one that deserves to be locked up in Azkaban, for her horrible ideas of…of…UGH!”

“It’s really okay, Hermione.  Honest.  Skeeter is just a pest,” Harry tried to convince his friend.  “I’ve dealt with her saying worse, and I have a feeling my times with the press breathing down my back are just beginning.  Besides, we have more important things to do right now.”

They were making their way up to the shattered remains of white marble. 

“Oh, my. What did that monster do?” Hermione gasped.

Harry took a deep breath and walked forward so that he was leaning directly over Albus Dumbledore’s head.  “Hello, sir,” he whispered.  “I believe this belongs here with you.”

With that, he used his wand to gently raise Dumbledore’s arm just enough to be able to place the Elder wand underneath it.  Taking a step back, he realized that this was not ever how he imagined this all would end.   He shook himself, and then turned to Ron and Hermione.

“I thought this would be easier,” he hoarsely said.  “I don’t know what to do, now.”

Hermione walked up to him and gave him a side hug, looking down at her Headmaster.  “Goodbye, Professor,” she whispered. 

“I can’t believe it’s really over,” Harry said.  “Can we really live a normal life?”

“Well, as normal as ‘The Golden Trio’ can get,” came Ron’s response as he walked up next to Hermione.  “Ugh.  Stupid Prophet and their phrases.  My brothers will never let me live that one down.”

Harry laughed at that, and took one more look at Dumbledore.

“Ready?” Hermione asked Ron and Harry.  Receiving nods of confirmation, she said, “One, two, three.” The trio raised their wands together, and the pieces of marble came back and fit into place.  Ron and Harry put their wands down, but Hermione cast another spell.  A bright white light emitted from her wand and fell across the stone.

“What was that?” Ron asked.

“A protection spell.  No one will be able to desecrate this place ever again.”

Smiling, she grabbed the hands of her boys and the three of them walked back up to the castle.


	2. Happy Birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the reviews and kudos! Makes me very happy! :) 
> 
> I thought I would go ahead and post a new chapter, which will then motivate me to write some more!
> 
> This chapter is about Harry's birthday, and then the next is more shopping and a quick conversation with our dear Draco! Chapter four will finally be at Hogwarts, and then we'll go from there! Hope you like this!
> 
> Thanks, again!
> 
> ~B.

Harry woke with a start.  His dream had been so vivid; so real.  Now that he was awake, though, all he could remember were snippets of red and blond hair. 

It took him a second to remember where he was.  It had been nearly three months since the end of the war, but the pure silence of 12 Grimmauld Place was taking quite a bit to get used to.  Going from Dudley’s snores on Privet Drive, Ron’s snores at the Burrow, Ron and Neville’s snores in the dorm, and then all of the noises of nature when they were in hiding, Harry didn’t know if he would ever get used to waking up to absolute quiet.  He relished being alone, but at times he missed human contact.

As he crawled out of bed, he realized that it was his birthday. 

 _Happy Birthday, Harry_ , he thought to himself.

He trudged downstairs to the bathroom and washed his face.

Standing in front of the mirror, he thought about the last few months and how much his life had changed in such a short time.

He thought about all of the funerals he had attended, all the words he had spoken to the loved ones of those who died because of him.  Harry didn’t think he would ever be able to get the sound of Molly’s sobs at Fred’s funeral out of his head, for the rest of his life. 

His conversation with Ginny, while awkward, went really well.  He was absolutely petrified to tell her that the reason he didn’t want to get back together with her was because he realized that he preferred men to women.  He figured he would get his bits hexed off, but when Ginny just laughed a little and said she was planning on breaking it off with him, too, he relaxed.  She giggled a bit and informed him that while he was off doing whatever it was he did last year, she and Neville had gotten really close.  She didn’t know if it would lead to anything, but she wanted to try.  Harry was absolutely thrilled for his friends, and told Ginny as such.

Having the same conversation with Hermione and Ron went much better than he had assumed.  When Hermione informed him that she had had an inkling for the past several years, he knew she would support him no matter what.

It wasn’t really Hermione that he was worried about, though.  When he told Ron, at first, he thought it was a joke.  When Harry didn’t laugh along, though, Ron knew that he was serious.  It took him a moment, but when he informed Harry, “I just don’t want any intimate details,” Harry knew they would be fine.

As per his word to Professor McGonagall, Harry had helped with the restoration of Hogwarts.  He had donated quite a bit of money, and when he could, he would go and help with the clean-up.  He didn’t go very often, though, because seeing the castle in disarray was too depressing; too many memories from the night of the battle.

The past several weeks had been filled with the trials of the Death Eaters.  The only ones he had attended were for Narcissa and Draco Malfoy.  He and Hermione had spoken at length of whether or not he should, but he decided to go ahead and speak on their behalves.  Both of them, after all, had saved his life.  He felt he owed it to them.  He felt no remorse, however, for Lucius.  The bastard deserved whatever he got.

Rinsing off his toothbrush, he took a long look at his face.  When did he begin to look so old?  He was only just 18, for Godric’s sake!

“I’ve got to get a life,” he said to his reflection.

At that moment, he heard a noise coming from his sitting room downstairs.

“Harry! Are you here?” He realized it was Hermione yelling, as she walked out of the floo.

“Just finishing getting dressed! Put on the kettle, and I’ll be down in a moment!”

He went to his makeshift closet and pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.  He really needed to go shopping and buy himself some clothes that actually fit him.  He was no longer in hiding, and shouldn’t still be wearing his cousin’s old clothes.  It helped that he had finally been able to convince the goblins at Gringott’s to let him have access to his vault, again.  It was nice to have such people as the Minister of Magic as a reference for you.

Walking down the stairs, he made a mental note to ask Hermione and maybe Ginny if they would accompany him to Diagon soon.

Walking into his kitchen, he saw that Hermione was not alone.  Ron, Ginny, and Neville were all seated at the table, which had a breakfast feast sitting atop it.

“Surprise! Happy Birthday!” they all screamed.

Harry could not remember the last time he had smiled that big.  As he looked around at his friends, he realized how truly blessed he was to have such amazing people in his life.

“What— How— You— Blimey!  You all are incredible!  I would never have expected this!”

“That’s the point of a surprise, mate,” Ron smiled at him.

“Happy Birthday, Harry!” Ginny said from across the table.  He went around and kissed her on the cheek, then shook hands with Neville.

“Happy Birthday, Harry.”

“Happy belated, to you, mate!”  Harry grinned as he walked to the head of the table and sat down.

“We’ve all had a trying few months, so we decided to make today special for all of us,” Hermione said.  She kissed him on the cheek, as she handed him a wrapped package, and sat to his right.  “This is from Ron and me.”

He grinned at her as he opened the wrapping.  Inside was a leather arm holster for a wand.  It was a simple gift, but exactly what he wanted; he had put a holster on his mental shopping list just the other day.

“Thank you, ‘Mione, Ron.  How did you know I was thinking of getting me one?”

“Well, I figured you might need one when you start Auror training,” Ron said from across the table.  “You are going to join this fall, right?”

Harry paused just long enough that Hermione suddenly said, “We can discuss Harry’s plans later.  For now, let’s eat this delicious food before it gets cold!  Thank you, Kreacher, for this wonderful food,” Hermione said quickly.

Kreacher, having somewhat gotten used to the witch, bowed his head stiffly, and moved back into his nest.

“Kreacher made all of this?  However did you get him to do it,” Harry inquired.

“Promised him that he would get a bigger room, in which those dreadful elf heads in the hall will go on the wall.  So, promise me that when you get started down here in the kitchen that will get done for him.”

“Done and done,” Harry smiled at her as he filled his plate with food.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

The five of them were enjoying their meal, when an owl swooped in through the open window and landed on the table next to Harry’s plate.  Harry took the letter from its leg, and flicked it a couple of sausages, and then the bird was back out flying through the air.

Harry opened up the letter and read.

“Well, that’s a way to finish my birthday morning,” Harry said, glancing at the inquiring faces of his friends.  “The Malfoy trials are over.  Narcissa is to receive 6 months of house arrest, Lucius will be in Azkaban for 1 year, and Draco will be on probation while he finishes his Hogwarts education.”

“Well, that sounds like they just threw some money at whoever would look Lucius in the eye.  No way could they have got off that easy without some kind of bribery.  But wait, you mean they are going to let him back into school?!” Ron exclaimed.

“Why wouldn’t they?” Hermione asked.  “McGonagall has already said that Hogwarts will be open to any person who wishes to finish their education that did not get to last year.  That includes Malfoy.”

“Yeah, but he was a Death Eater.”

“He was acquitted, Ronald.”

“Because of what Harry said.”

Hermione was about to respond to that, but Harry cut her off.  “Yes, I spoke for him and his mother.  And if that means that he doesn’t go to Azkaban, then I’m glad.”

Harry looked up at Ron, who looked gob smacked at Harry’s statement.  “I’m serious.  I am so incredibly tired of all of the fighting and hostility.  I’m done.  Besides, I honestly don’t believe Draco took the Mark willingly.  Do you?  Think of who his father is.”

“I agree with Harry,” Ginny piped in.  “He may have been a slime ball, but I don’t think he truly could have done all that was necessary to become a _true_ Death Eater.  Do you, Ron?”

“Well, no.  But that doesn’t mean I have to like the git!”

“Nobody is asking you to make him a picnic and hold is hand around the park, mate.  Just not to say anything about what happened the last couple of years,” Harry sent a look at him.  “Think you can manage?”

“I’ll try my best, but only for the sake of—what was in McGonagall said?  Oh, yeah: _Inter-House Unity_.  Well, I guess that answers my question.  So, you are going back to Hogwarts to finish?”

Harry looked up from his plate and realized there were four sets of eyes looking at him.

“Er…yeah, I guess so.  I’ve been thinking about it, and I’m not even sure if I want to be an Auror anymore.  I truly am tired of fighting.”  He sighed, and then glanced over at Hermione.  “So, I think I will go back to school, and see if anything else catches my fancy.  There’s got to be something out there that I would enjoy doing.”

“I’m sure you will find something,” Hermione said.  “So, Harry, what are you going to do with the rest of your day before dinner at the Burrow tonight?”

Harry smiled as he thought about how adamant Molly was about him coming over for dinner for his Birthday.  He had been petrified that the Weasley’s would no longer wish to have him be a part of their family once he and Ginny didn’t get back together, and even more so after he told her why they wouldn’t be, but much to his surprise (and absolute delight) Molly had seemed to be even more insistent on the fact that he was her son, and there was nothing he could do that would ever change that.

“Well, actually, what are you and Ginny doing this afternoon?” Harry smiled his most endearing smile at the two women.

“Uh oh,” Ginny said, as she glanced at Hermione.  “This can’t be good.”

“It’s not bad, I promise!  I was just hoping that you two would accompany me to Diagon Alley and…help me…pick out some new clothes.  Don’t laugh, Ron!  I am sick of still wearing Dudley’s cast offs!”

“I’m not laughing at you, mate.  I’m laughing at the excited faces on these two,” Ron said as he gestured to Hermione and Ginny.  The two did in fact have identical thrilled faces.

“Oh, Harry! We’d love to help!” Hermione gushed.

Ginny nodded enthusiastically.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Hermione jumped from her seat and put her plate in the sink.  She went over and gave Ron a kiss on the cheek, and then started bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Ginny leaned over and kissed Neville, and then stood and said, “Yeah, let’s go!”

Harry just looked at the two, and then looked at Ron and Neville.  “Oh, no.  What did I just get myself into?”

“Good luck, mate!” Neville called after the trio as they went to the floo.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

It was coming on four before Harry, Hermione, and Ginny had stepped back through the floo into Harry’s sitting room.  Harry congratulated himself on the idea to bring the two women with him; they had been extremely helpful.  His vault in Gringott’s had a large hole in the piles of gold, but Harry was now the proud owner of a whole new wardrobe, down to new pajamas, socks, and four pairs of shoes.

“I’m going to go take this stuff upstairs,” Harry said, pulling the shrunken bags out of his pocket and enlarging them.  “’Mione, how about you put on the kettle, and we can have a cuppa before we have to go to the Burrow.”

“Absolutely!” Hermione said as she turned to go down to the kitchen.

“Here, I’ll help you with these,” Ginny told Harry.

The pair took the bags up to the top floor bedroom: when Harry had moved back into Grimmauld, he decided that he was going to make Sirius’s old room into his.  It was truly the largest bedroom in the house, and he had many ideas of how he could make it even better once he started remodeling.

“So, what are you going to do with all of your old clothes?” Ginny asked as she opened his closet door.

“Honestly, I thought about burning them,” Harry laughed.  He was only partly kidding, but the look on Ginny’s face told him that it was a brilliant idea.

“That would be amazing, Harry!  It could be, I don’t know, Happy 18th Birthday, out with the old, in with the new!  A new and improved Harry!”

Harry stopped and stared at Ginny.  He remembered why he had fallen for her in the first place.  She was amazing.  “That is brilliant, Gin!  Here, help me get them all!”

The two of them were busy cleaning out the closet when Hermione came up with three cups of tea floating behind her.

“What are you doing?  I’ve been waiting on you downstairs for ages.”

Ginny informed Hermione what the new addition to Harry’s party was as Harry continued to toss holey shirts out of the closet.  Hermione seemed to be just as excited about the prospect, and after drinking her tea, she started stuffing the clothes into a magically expanded rubbish bin.  As soon as they had put the new clothes onto the now emptied hangers, and carefully put into the closet, the girls headed off to their respective homes to change for dinner. 

Harry decided that he should probably shower and shave.  Soon, he was drying himself off and standing in front of his new clothes.  What should he wear?  Deciding on a pair of form fitting dark jeans, and a deep green jumper, he slid on his new dragon hide shoes and headed for the floo.

As he stepped out of the fireplace at the Burrow, he could hear several voices coming from the kitchen.  Too many voices, in fact.  How many people did Molly invite to this thing?  Harry took a deep breath, and went to meet his fate.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Harry still could not believe the amount of people that had shown up for his Birthday.  Kingsley Shacklebolt was the one that really shocked him.  All of the Weasley’s were in attendance, as well as a few of their significant others.  Harry was pleased to see that Angelina Johnson was sitting next to George, holding his hand.  He’d have to ask Ron about that one later.  Even Professor McGonagall had made an appearance, briefly.  She said she couldn’t stay long, as there were crews working around the clock fixing Hogwarts so that the castle would be ready for the start of term on September 1st.

He saw Hagrid out in the garden talking with Charlie Weasley.  Harry had only met Charlie Weasley a few times, but Harry noticed that the man was, in fact, what one might call _dreamy_.  Working with Dragons gave him muscles in places Harry didn’t even know had muscles.  Harry caught himself once or twice staring at the man, but it seemed no one else noticed, thankfully.

Luna was chatting with Ginny, and both women were laughing and glancing at him.  Harry didn’t think he wanted to know what their conversation was about.

The food, as usual, was beyond magnificent.  Harry was able to get Molly alone for a few minutes and, after giving her a big hug, told her that she didn’t always have to spoil him.  She laughed and, patting his cheek, told him that she did, and always would.  He just smiled, and hugged her again, saying, “thanks, mum.”

She shooed him out of the door before he could see the tears start falling from her eyes.

Walking out to the back garden, he could see Ginny and Hermione preparing the start making a pile of his old clothes.  He hurriedly walked over to them to help with the removal.  Once they had everything set up, Ginny went to gather everyone around.  Bill walked out with a large bottle of Fire Whiskey, with George following behind with a stack of cups.  Once everyone had received a glass and had a shot of whiskey, Ron started with the toasts.  Everyone in the circle said something about Harry, much to his chagrin.  Once it got back to himself, Harry gave a toast to all of them, as well as those that weren’t there but should have been.  He didn’t want any tears, so he thanked them all for coming, gulped his drink, and then pointed his wand at the pile of clothes.  With an _incendio_ , a giant fire erupted. 

Harry let his mind wander as he thought about his ‘new and improved’ self.  He was absolutely determined to have a great year at school.  He felt he deserved it after nearly seventeen years of hell; first, life with the Dursley’s and then, life fighting Voldemort.  This was the beginning of the rest of his life, and he was going to enjoy every minute of it.


	3. Surprise Encounters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone for the Kudos and reviews! Sorry it took so long to post this chapter; I had the cliche writer's block. It's here, though, and I will try and get the next one up much quicker. Promise! Thanks, again!
> 
> ~B.

Harry woke with a start.  He turned over and looked at the clock on the night stand.  8:22, it read.  He really didn’t feel like getting out of bed, but he knew Ginny was going to be coming over at 9:00, so he had best get himself up and ready to go; he was going to have a busy morning.

Walking down to the shower, Harry decided that he was ready to start remodeling Grimmauld.  He really wanted to put a bathroom in his room so he wouldn’t have to walk downstairs each time he wanted to use the loo, and the house itself really just needed to be updated extensively.

Walking back into his room, he started mentally rearranging the room, tearing walls down, thinking of where extension charms could be used.  He was determined to do this.

At 9:00 on the dot, he heard the fire flare up.  Walking down the stairs, he saw Ginny’s head peek around and see him walking towards her.

“You ready?” she asked him.

“Ready!  Is Hermione and Ron meeting us there?”

“Yes, and Nev is going to try and meet us for lunch.  He’s already done his shopping, and his Gran isn’t feeling well this week, so he is spending the morning with her.”

“Great!  Ok, meet you in the Leaky.”  Ginny’s head disappeared, and Harry took a handful of powder and stepped into the fireplace.

Stepping out into the Leaky Cauldron just after Ginny, he spotted Ron and Hermione sitting in a booth just across the room from them.  Waving to them, the two of them met them in the middle and they stepped out to the brick wall blocking Diagon Alley.

“I cannot believe we have all put off our school shopping until now,” Hermione exclaimed, as she tapped the bricks.  “We leave in two days!”

“Well, you all are leaving in two days.  The rest of us leave in five,” Ginny said, as they stepped through into the hustle and bustle of the alley.

“I still don’t know why that is, but McGonagall was adamant in her letters that the ‘8th Years’ get there a couple of days early.”

“’8th Years’—who comes up with these terms?” Ron mused.

“I would much rather be an ‘8th Year’ than ‘the students that were unable to finish their education because they were too busy fighting for their lives against Voldemort,’ wouldn’t you?” Harry looked questioningly at Ron.

“Okay, I concede,” Ron sighed.  “You have a point.”

Smiling, Harry informed the group that he needed to go to Gringott’s before they got started.

As they walked into the bright white building, Harry could swear he kept hearing muttered “thieves” as they walked down the row of Goblins.  He didn’t think they would ever truly be forgiven for their past discretions.  _Oh well,_ he thought.  _At least we can get to our vaults_.

After they had all gotten some money, the quartet made their way to Madam Malkin’s.  Since they had been gone a year, and both Ron and Harry had grown taller during that time, it was determined that they would need new school robes. 

After they had paid, they decided what would be the best plan of action.

“Okay, do we want to split up, or just go as a group?” Hermione asked.

“Let’s just go together,” Ginny suggested.  “That way, we can each get what we need.  We still have plenty of time until Nev will meet us.”

“Agreed,” Harry said.  “Let’s go to the apothecary, first.”  With that, they all walked back up the alley.  Harry could see the store just ahead of them, but they were suddenly assaulted when a camera being stuck in Harry’s face.  A reporter, quill and parchment at the ready, started asking Harry questions.

“Mr Potter! Are you shopping for Hogwarts?  Does that mean that you won’t be joining the Aurors this fall?”

Harry didn’t answer, and tried to move around them, but they followed right behind them, continuing to ask questions and take pictures of them.  They managed to lose them when they walked into the dark and dank store. 

Looking around, Harry wondered what kind of things they would be doing in Potions this year.  He didn’t know why he was still going to be taking the class, as he had decided not to go into Auror training; after writing to Professor McGonagall, it was decided that he should stay the course.  Keeping his schedule meant that he could pursue quite an array of career options.

Gathering the needed ingredients, they all made their way down to the stationary store.  They each got parchment, and after looking around a bit, Harry decided on a couple of new quills that were a deep ebony color, with a hint of emerald when the light hit it just so. 

Flourish & Blotts was their next stop. The store owners were very good about keeping the Hogwarts texts right at the front, so it was very easy for the group to collect the needed books.  An idea occurred to Harry, though.

 Telling his friends that he'd catch them up in a moment, he made his way toward the stacks in the back. Finding the aisle he was looking for, Harry started looking through the books about magical home renovations.  After finding five books that looked like they could be of some help, Harry began walking towards the front of the store, passing by the Transfiguration aisle.  He stopped and walked back into it, looking for a book about furniture transfiguring. 

Now carrying two more books, Harry chuckled to himself as he thought of the look on Hermione’s face when she saw him with all of the books. 

He met up with his friends at the Leaky Cauldron, happy to see Neville sitting with them.  Harry showed the group his purchase.  Hermione, of course, was excitedly interested in the concept and magic behind it.  Harry figured she would be willing to help him with his project, if he asked.

Eating their lunch, they talked about what other shopping they needed to accomplish while they had the chance.  8th years weren't going to be able to play Quidditch, much to the disappointment of Ron and Harry, so Quality Quidditch Supplies would be too depressing to peruse. 

Hermione glanced up and caught Harry’s eye.

“What?”

“Well, I just wondered if you had considered getting an owl, yet.”

Harry took a stuttered breath.  He honestly hadn't even considered it, he admitted. He couldn't even imagine replacing Hedwig.  She had truly been his first friend.  She was his rock during the long summers when he was stuck at the Dursley’s. She was his proof that he hadn't just imagined Hogwarts and his friends.  Losing her felt like he had lost a part of himself.  He told his friends as such.

“Harry, of course you could never replace her,” Hermione told him.  “No one is asking you to.  But, maybe it's time to think about getting one.”

Unfortunately for Harry, she was right.  He acquiesced, and so after finishing eating their pies, they all headed down the alley to Eeylops.  Harry braced himself as he walked into the store.  He saw a couple of Tawny owls in the front, with a Screech right beside them.  He glanced over at a beautiful Snowy, but knew that he could never. 

He turned his head and caught the eye of a tall Barn owl.  He walked towards it, and it rustled its feathers.  As he came up to its perch, the owl lifted its right leg, almost as if to shake his hand.

“Hello, there,” Harry said to the bird, touching its foot. Its deep brown eyes were staring deep into Harry’s.  He noticed the specks of black on the white chest of the bird, and its gorgeous brown and gold feathers on its wings.

“Beautiful bird, is he not?” asked the shopkeeper, walking up to Harry. “Wicked smart, too.  He’s about 12 weeks old.  Won't get but just a bit bigger.”

Harry had been petting the bird while the man was talking, feeling more and more like this was _his_ owl.  He almost felt as if they had imprinted on each other. When the animal bent its head and nipped on Harry’s finger, he had a flash memory of Hedwig, doing the same. It was at that point that he knew he was taking the owl home.

Finishing up the purchase, Harry was excited to get to know his new companion.  He knew he needed a name, and after remembering how he had found Hedwig’s, he decided to do some reading that evening, in hopes of finding something that would fit.  Harry gave the bird his address, and let it fly away.  He knew he would be waiting for him at home.

The group started making their way to the apparition spot when Harry saw something out of the corner of his eye.  Turning his head, his breath caught.  Coming down the stairs of Gringott’s was Draco Malfoy. 

Harry didn’t know if he wanted to be spotted or not, and was turning to hurry into a store and basically hide, when his eyes were caught by the pair of grey ones belonging to the blond.  He couldn’t quite make out the look on Malfoy’s face, but it didn’t seem to be of disgust as he was used to coming from the man.

“Potter,” Malfoy nodded at him as he walked past.

“Malfoy.”

Harry was just about to turn and apparate away, when a thought hit him square in his chest.   He said goodbye to his bewildered friends, and sprinted back up the street.

It took him a couple of seconds to find the blond hair again, but when he did, he ran after him.  He didn’t want to make a scene, so as he came up closer, he said a quick “Malfoy” to get the man’s attention.

Malfoy turned around, surprise written all over his face at the sight of a disheveled Harry Potter standing in front of him.

“What is it, Potter? Come expecting a thank you from me?”  The Malfoy scowl was prominent on his face after he spoke.  Harry had to suppress his eye roll.

“Wait, what? Oh--no.  I just had an idea and wanted to let you know something.”

“What on Earth would I want to hear from you?”

Did he always have to be such an arse?  Harry considered just turning around and walking away, but then he remembered the conversation from the morning of his birthday; he didn’t want to fight anymore.

Taking a deep breath, Harry said, “Well, I still have your wand.  I thought you might want it back.” 

No scenario Harry could have ever thought of how this conversation would go could have prepared him for the look on Malfoy’s face as he spoke that last sentence. 

“Are you—are you serious?”  Malfoy could not hold back the grin that was fixed to his face.

“Well, yes.  It belongs to you, after all.  So, it that a yes?”

“Of course that’s a yes!” he exclaimed.  He suddenly realized that he was standing in the middle of Diagon Alley with Harry sodding Potter, of all people.  Quickly schooling his features, he said, “What I mean is, of course I would like to acquire my wand back from you.”

Harry had to hold back a snort at the sudden shift in Malfoy’s speech.

“Great!  Um, well, when are you available to come get it?  I have it at my house.”

“Will you be going back to Hogwarts?” Malfoy asked.

“Yes, I am.”

“I am, as well. Would—would it be possible for me to floo into your home on Friday morning?  I am currently using my mother’s wand; if you accept that, I can then leave my mother her wand, and I will have mine to be able to call the Knight Bus.”

Harry wasn’t so sure he should allow his arch enemy into his home, but he argued with himself about the fact that he wanted to start over.  No more fighting.  He had a feeling this was to be his new mantra.  Who knows what could happen if everyone could just get along?

“Er… yeah, of course.  That shouldn’t be a problem at all.   I will fix my wards to allow you in at 11:00?  Will that time be fine?”  Receiving a nod of agreement, Harry couldn't resist the question, “Why the Knight Bus?”

“Not that it's any of your business, Potter, but my apparition license was revoked as part of my probation.  How else do you expect me to get to Hogwarts?”

“I’m sorry.  I didn't know.”

“Of course you didn't. It doesn't matter to you. Saint Potter. Anyway, I will be at your house at 11:00 on Friday, and then I'll be on my way.  What is your address?”

Harry pulled a piece of parchment out of his shopping bags, and wrote down the address.  “Um, please memorize this, and then I can destroy it.  I have a Fidelius charm on the house.”

Malfoy looked a bit shocked, but took the parchment, read it a few times, and handed it back to Harry.

Harry lit the paper on fire, and watched it turn into ash. Glancing back up at Malfoy, he had a thought. “Er, if you wanted to, you could side-arm with me to Hogwarts.  I mean, I know the Knight Bus isn't the most pleasant of transportation.”

Harry didn't know if Malfoy’s eyebrows could get any higher.

“What’s in it for you, Potter? I already owe you a life debt.  What else could you possibly want from me?”

“Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  I am just trying to ‘turn over a new leaf,’ so to speak.  I don’t want to fight.”

“I know I shouldn’t trust you, but the idea of riding the Knight Bus all the way to Hogwarts sounds horrific.  I would appreciate it if you would…take me…to Hogwarts.”  He said the last few words in a near whisper.

Smiling slightly, Harry stuck his hand out. “I'll see you at 11:00.”

Hesitating for just a brief moment, and with an odd look on his face, Malfoy took Harry’s hand and shook it, saying, “See you then.”

Harry smiled even bigger, and turned back to the apparition spot, heading back to Grimmauld.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

After putting all of his purchases into his trunk, and finding his new owl in the kitchen eating the scraps Kreacher was throwing at him, Harry decided that he should probably go and see Teddy and Andromeda before he left for school.  Telling Kreacher he would be back before dinner, he stepped in front of the floo, and fire-called Andromeda.

“Harry!  What a pleasant surprise!”

“Hello, Andy!  I was wondering if I could come and see that godson of mine?” Harry asked with a meek smile.

“Harry, what have I told you?  You don’t need to ask to come see him.  Come on through.  I’ll make some tea.”

Standing up, Harry grabbed the small stuffed lion he had picked up in Diagon a few weeks ago, and then stepped through the floo in the kitchen.

Harry stepped out of the fireplace into a lush living room with sky blue walls, deep navy carpet, and beautiful purple plush chairs and a grey couch.  Lying in the center of a white blanket in the middle of the floor was Teddy.  Harry walked over to the child and picked him up.  It had taken a few months not to be absolutely terrified of holding the baby, and while Harry still didn’t know what he was doing, the child in his arms made him feel more confident and comfortable.  It was almost as if Teddy exuded trust onto Harry. 

Looking into his godson’s eyes, Harry realized the infant had changed his eye color to match Harry’s.  He gasped a little, and looked quickly at Andromeda as she walked into the room with a tray of tea and biscuits.  Seeing Harry’s face, she put the tray down and quickly walked over.  Looking between the two pairs of eyes now looking at her, she gasped as well.

“Well! That’s new!”

“You mean he hasn’t done that before?”

“No!  I had noticed the past couple of weeks him trying to change his hair color to match his toys, but he hadn’t succeeded until now!  What a smart, beautiful child, you are!” she cooed to her grandson.

Harry was in awe of this revelation; he wanted to tell everyone he knew what had happened!  He chided himself; _you sound like an obsessive parent, mate._   He smiled to himself as they walked over to the sofa, Harry still holding Teddy, who was now fascinated with the lion Harry was bouncing in front of his face.

“So, what’s the special occasion?  We haven’t seen you since before your Birthday,” Andromeda asked whilst pouring the tea.

Taking his cup and saucer and carefully taking a sip while still corralling Teddy, he responded, “Well, I am going back to Hogwarts on Friday, so I thought I’d best come over and take mental images of Teddy, because it will be months before I see him again.”

“Oh, so you are going back?  The last I had heard you still hadn’t made up your mind.”

“I went and spoke to Professor McGonagall, and she basically decided for me,” Harry chuckled.  “I am not sure I want to become and Auror, so I figured it would be best to go back and sort through my options.”

“Well, I wish you all the luck.  I can understand your reservations about being an Auror.  If it were me, I would be tired of always chasing the bad guy.”

“That is it, entirely.  I am so sick of the fighting and antagonizing.  I don’t think I would enjoy doing that every day.”

At that moment, Teddy gurgled and then started crying.  Andromeda tutted and reached for the baby.  Giving him a kiss on his head, Harry handed Teddy over to his grandmother.  “It’s his nap time.  I’m sorry for the timing.”

“It’s no problem, I promise!  I still have some more errands I need to run before I leave for Hogwarts.  I’ll write soon,” Harry said, giving the woman a hug.  Stepping up to the floo, he decided to go over to the Burrow and tell Ron and Hermione about what Teddy did.

Stepping out of the floo, he was assaulted by yelling.  He could hear Molly and Ginny going at it in the kitchen.  He didn’t know if he should stay or leave, but was stopped from making a decision when Ron walked down the stairs into the living room.  Seeing Harry, Ron smiled, rolling his eyes and shrugging his shoulders.

“Mum hasn’t figured out that Ginny is no longer a baby.”

“Oh, no.”

“Yeah.  Ginny just told mum and dad about her and Neville.”  Seeing Harry’s wide eyed expression at that news, Ron continued.  “I know!  They’ve been together since, what?  The middle of June?  I mean, come on!  She was practically sitting in his lap at your birthday party.  I think Gin wanted to give them a bit of time to get over, well, you, but I assumed they would have figured it out before now.  Anyway, why did you run off earlier?”

Harry paled a bit at that information; he wanted Ginny to be happy.  He looked over at Ron and said, “I saw Malfoy, and decided that it was high time for him to get his wand back.  We are meeting on Friday, and I am giving it back.”

“Are you mad?  Meeting Malfoy alone?”

“What’s going to happen?  I have his wand!”

“Well, it’s Malfoy; one can never be too sure.”

“Ron, we’ve been over this.  No more fighting.  And speaking of, I don’t want to interrupt those two,” nodding his head towards the kitchen.  “I think I should lea—.”

Before he could get the rest of the word out, a red-faced Molly Weasley strode out of the kitchen.  Upon seeing Harry, though, her face lit up.

“I thought I heard voices in here—Harry! What a pleasant surprise!  To what do we owe the pleasure?”

Glancing over at Ron, who just shrugged again and gave a quick nod, Harry was quick to give Molly a hug.  “I just wanted to come see you and Arthur before we left tomorrow, and to tell you what Teddy just did!” Harry suddenly remembered why he had flooed to begin with.

“Oh, that precious boy.  Well, come in for a spot, and tell me,” Molly exclaimed as she walked back into the kitchen.  Ron and Harry followed her in.  Walking up to the table, Harry could see Ginny sitting out on the bench in the garden.

“So, what did Teddy do?” Molly asked while pouring tea into three cups.

Regaling his captive audience with his tales of his godson, Harry quickly lost track of time.  Before he knew it, it was coming on 6:00.  “Oh, I’d better get home and finish packing,” Harry said.

“Stay for dinner, wouldn’t you?  We have plenty,” Molly said.

“I would, but Kreacher was going to cook.  Thank you, though.  I’ll just go see Arthur before I leave.”  Getting up, Harry walked around the table and gave Molly a quick kiss on the cheek.  “See you Friday, Ron.”

“See you, mate.”

Harry walked out the door and walked over to Arthur’s shed.  Knocking on the door and hearing an affirmative call, he walked in to see Arthur and Ginny talking.

“Sorry to interrupt, just wanted to say hello,” Harry said when the father and daughter looked up at him.

“Harry! I didn’t know you were here,” Ginny said, walking over and giving him a kiss on the cheek.  “No interruption, we were just chatting.”

Smiling shyly up at Arthur, Harry picked up a broken torch sitting on a shelf.  “I flooed in a couple of hours ago…” Harry spoke the last words in an elongated way.

Ginny’s face reddened as she looked up at Harry.

“I’ll leave you two to chat,” Arthur said.  “We’ll see you at Christmas, Harry.” Arthur shook Harry’s hand and walked back up to the house.

“So, I take it your mum didn’t like your news?” Harry asked.

“Not as much,” Ginny responded.  “She was being a bit ridiculous.  She is fully aware that we are never going to be together, but she blew up when I told her about Neville.  She cannot get over the fact that I am now 17, a legal adult in the wizard world, and can do as I wish.  To her, I am still the 10-year-old little girl seeing her brothers off to Hogwarts.” Ginny rolled her eyes.

“She’ll come around.  Neville is brilliant.”

“Thanks, Harry.  You’ll never know how much your support means to me.”

“All I ask in return is your support when the roles are reversed,” Harry smiled at Ginny.

“Deal.”

“I’d better get back before Kreacher burns my dinner,” Harry laughed, walking back out into the garden.  “I’ll see you in a few days.”

“Keep out of trouble while it’s just you 8th years, would you?”

Walking past the gate out onto the lane, Harry turned around, yelling, “Not making any promises!” before turning on the spot and apparating to Grimmauld.


	4. Truce?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, apparently, I am terrible at this updating thing. I'm sorry! I'm thinking that I will say that I will update every other Monday, so that I have plenty of time to get it written. 
> 
> This chapter is a little bit longer than the previous ones. I'm trying, promise! 
> 
> I hope you like the interactions between the characters. This is my first fic, so it is difficult getting their mannerisms right.
> 
> Thank you for all the reviews and Kudos! It makes me really happy getting those notifications! :)
> 
> Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers! :D

Harry woke with a start.   Breathing hard, he tried to calm his heart beat down.  _Dammit._   He hadn’t had a nightmare in over a month.  He really didn’t want them to start back up again now that he was going back to school, but the memories from that building were bound to resurface.  He shivered, lying back against his pillow.  Turning his head slightly, he saw that it was just after 5:30 in the morning.

The dreams from the Room of Requirement was always the worst.  He could deal with the dreams of walking into the forest, seeing all the bodies lying around the Great Hall, and even the final battle, but the Room of Requirement and the fiendfyre was always the worst.  He could feel the flames licking his skin, smell the smoke as it infiltrated his lungs.  He could even sometimes feel the weight of Malfoy against his back as they made their way out.  The thought of strong arms wrapped around his waist sent blood flowing straight to his groin.

He turned over and tried to close his eyes, hoping to get a little more sleep.  All he could see was the flames, though, so he knew sleep was a lost cause.  Sighing loudly, he decided to get an early start on the day.  He still had a bit to do before Malfoy was supposed to arrive.

The day before had been a whirlwind of gathering everything he would need to take to Hogwarts, packing it all into his trunk, and then trying to come up with a name for his new owl.  So far, nothing had seemed right for the majestic animal.  He had found Hedwig’s name in _A History of Magic_ , so he decided that maybe one of his school books would have something in it.  Seeing as they had a few days at Hogwarts until term began, he figured he would be able to come up with something while hanging around the school.

Harry walked down the stairs and into the bathroom.  Taking off his clothes, he realized he was already half hard.  Who knew when the next time he would be able to have a nice, long, languid wank in the shower?  It was always near impossible to find time to himself in the dorm, so he decided to take advantage of the opportunity.  Stepping into the tub, hot water pouring down his front, he grabbed himself, bringing his cock to fullness.  He lent up against the back wall, letting his mind wander. 

He didn’t have a lot of experience in the sex department, but he had snogged a muggle bloke shortly after coming out to his friends.  He didn’t feel like he was ready for sex, so they didn’t go far, but he had an imagination, and that was good enough for now.

He thought of all the good-looking blokes at Hogwarts, and wondered how many were gay.  As he tugged harder on his cock, his mind kept wandering back to seeing Malfoy in Diagon Alley the other day.  Harry would deny it to his dying day, but Malfoy was gorgeous.  He remembered his disheveled blond hair, his shirt unbuttoned at the top, with just a peek of the porcelain skin underneath.  He could imagine ripping the shirt off, touching his chest, flicking his nipples with his tongue.

Harry rubbed his thumb over the head of his penis a few times, and then grabbed his balls with his left hand.  Feeling adventurous, he moved his left hand back farther, and touched his sensitive pucker.  He didn’t think he was ready for penetration, but he lightly rubbed his finger around the hole, envisioning the long finger of a certain person, all the while tugging erratically on his prick.  He could feel the pleasure rising up, and then suddenly, he came, shuddering as his spunk spurt all over the opposite wall and floor of the tub.  Coming down from his high, he suddenly realized that he had just wanked to the mental image of Draco Malfoy.  _What the fuck is wrong with me?_ Deciding not to invest any more attention into that thought, he quickly cleaned himself up, and washed his hair. 

Finishing his shower, he turned off the water and grabbed his towel off the rack.  Walking back upstairs to his bedroom, he quickly dried off and found some clothes.  He put on a pair of dark ebony jeans, and a light blue, collared shirt.  He pulled out a darker blue jumper to pair with it, assuming it would be cooler up north.  He placed his wand in his holster, buckling it onto his arm.  His new favorite dragon-skinned shoes were slipped onto his feet, and he was ready to conquer the day. 

Looking over at the clock, he realized he had only taken 45 minutes to get ready.  He still had nearly 5 hours to kill.  At that moment, though, his stomach decided to announce itself, so he went to get something to eat. 

Kreacher was already at the stove, when he walked in.  As Harry sat down at the table, Kreacher turned around and slid a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast in front of Harry.

“Thank you, Kreacher.”

“Master Harry,” the old elf replied, bowing slightly.

Harry wondered what the elf would do while he was away at school, and asked as much.

Receiving what he supposed was a scathing look from the creature, he decided it best to keep quiet on the situation. 

Eating his food, he pulled the copy of the _Daily Prophet_ from the day before over towards him.  As he looked down at the picture of him, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny shopping at Diagon, he really wished the journalists would get a life and leave him alone.

Since the end of the war, he had been in the paper nearly every day.  They had pictures of him at the funerals, helping with the Hogwarts renovations, talking with the goblins at Gringott’s, sitting at the trials.  It was never ending.  He hoped going back to school would ease the stories about him, but he wasn’t holding his breath.

Glancing around the kitchen, Harry was startled as he heard a rustling coming from the corner behind him.  Turning around, he saw his owl, perched on his cage.  “Good morning, mate.  Still haven’t decided what to call you, yet.  What about Florean?  After Mr. Fortescue?”  The owl ruffled its feathers and turned away from Harry. “No, that doesn’t fit.  I’ll come up with something, promise.”

Finishing his breakfast, Harry started to walk back upstairs, glancing into every room as he went up.  Since they would have three weeks off during the Christmas holidays, he figured he might be able to get one room remodeled in that time.  He walked into the sitting room on the second floor.  This room was the first room that people saw when they stepped through the floo, so maybe this should be the first one on his list. 

The room was so dark and dank.  The deep blue wall paper made it seem like it was so much smaller than it actually was.  The furniture that was still intact was definitely old Black heirlooms.  He could see that Black family crest on the arms of the couch and chairs, and engraved in the legs of the tables.  He didn’t know what he would do with the furniture, but he knew that he wanted up-to-date furnishings.

He wandered the rest of the house, thinking of the changes he would like to make.  Finally making it back up to his room, he realized that it was nearly 11:00.  He went over to his bedside table, and pulled open the drawer.  Inside laid the wand that he had used to kill Voldemort, wrapped up in a piece of red silk.  Undoing the cloth, he picked up the wand and felt the warmth resonate from it.  If he was honest with himself, he was kind of nervous about giving it back. 

After talking with Mr. Ollivander after the war, he had figured out a way to give the wand back so that Malfoy had full control of his own wand, without being able to control Harry’s phoenix wand and the Elder wand.  Harry didn’t care so much about the phoenix wand; he was more worried about the Elder wand.  He wanted to make sure that he was the last master of that wand.  Wand lore was such a confusing subject, but it was interesting, and he liked knowing a bit more about it than Hermione. 

Ollivander had given him specific instructions on how to do the transfer of powers, but also warned that because Harry had won the wand by force, it was possible that he would forever be able to use the wand in times of need.  Harry didn’t think anything of it, because really, why would he ever be close enough to Malfoy to need to use his wand?

Harry set the wand on the bed, and turned around the room to make sure he had everything packed in his trunk.  Seeing everything of importance was missing from their normal spots, he turned to his trunk and cast the charm to shrink it.  _I don’t think I will ever get used to magic_ , he thought to himself.  Putting his trunk into his pocket, he heard the familiar sound of the floo flare, and then a hesitant “P-Potter?”

“Just a moment!”

Harry picked up the wand, and with one last look into his room, set off down the stairs.

Rounding the corner and walking into the sitting room, Harry was awash with his earlier thoughts in the shower.  Malfoy was dressed again in a button-up shirt, with the top two undone.  Harry could see the faint beginnings of a line of blond hair on the white, silky skin.  Malfoy’s hair had gotten longer since the trials, and he seemed to have stopped using gel, instead letting it fall free around his ears. 

Harry had the sudden urge to push his fingers through the hair, admonishing himself just as quickly as the thought appeared.  He couldn’t help but staring, though.  The summer had done Malfoy well.  He had grown a couple more inches, but so had Harry; Malfoy now stood less than 2 inches taller than Harry.  The blond also seemed less pointy; his cheeks and chin were more rounded.  He still was a bit too thin, but Harry didn’t mind in the least.

“Morning, Malfoy,” Harry was finally able to say.

“Potter.  Your home seems…lovely,” Malfoy said with a sarcastic sneer.

Harry couldn’t help but laugh.  “Yeah, it’s not the coziest at the moment.  Haven’t really had the time to remodel.  Hoping to get this room done over the Christmas hols, but we’ll see.”

Malfoy seemed to relax a bit when Harry was talking.  “So, have you got my wand?”

“Oh! Of course!”

Unraveling the piece of wood from the silk again, Harry held it up.

“Of course you would wrap it in Gryffindor colors, Potter.  Why did I expect anything less?”  Despite his rude comments, Malfoy’s eyes deceived him; he seemed very pleased to be reunited with his wand.

“Sorry.  I don’t really have many pieces of green cloth lying around my home,” Harry responded.  “This is going to sound strange, but there has to be a special way that you take the wand back.”

Seeing the questioning look on the blond’s face, Harry carried on.  “I spoke with Mr. Ollivander a couple of months ago, requesting information on how to properly restore your wand to you.  If you were to take it forcefully, then you would have power over my wand, too.”  Harry was quick to continue.  “Not that I don’t trust you!  It’s not even my wand I’m worried about.”

“The Elder wand,” Malfoy cut in.  “I understand.”

Harry sighed, grateful that the man standing before him recognized the situation.  “Exactly.  It belongs with Dumbledore, and that is where it should stay.”  Receiving a head nod from Malfoy, Harry continued.  “Mr. Ollivander gave me instructions on how to do this.  I will cast a spell on the wand, then I will say ‘I surrender the powers that be’ and hand it to you, in which you say ‘I claim the powers that be’ and take the wand.  Okay?”

“Wand lore is so confusing, and yet so fascinating.  Alright.  Let’s get this over with.”

Harry took the silk and threw it on the couch.  Holding the Hawthorne by the tip in his left hand, he pulled his wand out of his holster, swished it around the Hawthorne, and said the spell Ollivander had taught him.  “I surrender the powers that be.”  He looked up at Malfoy, who was looking at Harry.  As their eyes latched onto each other, he could feel the wand in his left hand getting warmer. 

Malfoy gripped the wand, his fingers grazing Harry’s.  “I claim the powers that be,” he said.  Harry knew when the magic was complete, but as he tried to let go of the wand, he felt like his hand was working on its own accord; he could not release the wand.  It suddenly felt as if his entire left arm was going to burn to a crisp.  With all of his might, he pulled his arm back.  Malfoy’s face scrunched up, telling Harry that he was feeling the same thing.  He gave a loud yelp, his eyes widening, just as Harry finally let go of the wand.

“What—what happened?” Malfoy gasped.

“I don’t know.  My hand suddenly felt like it was being burned, but I couldn’t let go of the wand, no matter how much I tried.  What did it feel like to you?”

“Honestly, I felt like I was back in the room of hidden things,” he said, rubbing his arm holding the wand.  “That was really strange.”  Lightly holding his wand, both men glanced down at the seemingly innocent piece of wood.

“Well, give it a go.  Is it working alright?”

Malfoy flicked his wand and conjured a small red and green marble.  With his Seeker reflexes, he grabbed the orb out of the air before it even had an inkling of falling to the ground.  Turning away from Harry, he shot red sparks into the air, and then transfigured one of the chairs in the room into a kettle.

“Seems to be my wand again,” Malfoy said with a slight smile. 

Harry couldn’t seem to take his eyes off the man’s back.  Shaking himself, he moved his eyes away.  “I’m glad.  I think I might write a letter to Mr. Ollivander, though, and ask what all that could have meant.  He didn’t mention anything like that when we talked.”

He heard a small “hmm” coming from Malfoy, who was still practicing using his wand.  He was throwing around non-verbal spells, too.  Harry felt himself becoming more and more impressed with the blond in front of him.  Coming back to himself, though, he glanced down at his watch and found that no more than 15 minutes had come and gone since Malfoy had arrived.

“We still have awhile until we have to be at Hogwarts.  Care for something to drink?” Harry asked.

Turning around, with a mild look of surprise, Malfoy nodded.  “Tea would be lovely.” 

“Let’s go down to the kitchen, then,” Harry said, turning around and walking out of the room.  He stopped on the landing, making sure Malfoy was following him.  Seeing that he was behind him, Harry continued down the stairs into the front hallway.  “Mind the last step,” he said quietly, avoiding hitting the umbrella stand that was sitting just beside the stairs.  Why Harry hadn’t destroyed that thing yet, he didn’t know.

Just as he was about to turn the corner, he heard a crash.  Whipping around, he saw Malfoy sprawled across the floor, and saw in horror as the hangings covering Walburga Black’s portrait zoomed open and she started screaming.

“BLOOD TRAITOR!  HALF-BREED MONSTROSITY!  HOW DARE YOU LIVE IN THE MOST NOBLE AND ANCIENT HOUSE OF BLACK!  GET OUT! GET OUT AND TAKE YOUR FILTH WITH YOU!”

Harry managed to quickly come over and pull the curtains shut before she spouted anything more out of her mouth, and then turned to help Malfoy up.

“What in the hell was that?!” Malfoy exclaimed, standing and dusting himself off.  “How can you live with that thing in your house?”

“That would be Mrs Walburga Black, your great aunt.”  Harry couldn’t help but laugh when he saw the blond’s face at that information.  “I wish I could get rid of her, believe me.  We’ve tried everything we can think of, to no avail.”

Turning, he beckoned Malfoy to follow him, leading him down to their intended destination.  As the duo walked into the kitchen, it had become apparent that Kreacher had overheard their discussion: a kettle was sitting in the middle of the table, with two cups and a tray of biscuits sitting next to it.

Harry walked over to the table, pouring the tea out.  Turning to ask how he took his, Malfoy said, “Two sugars,” and then took the cup from Harry, sitting down.  “Thanks, Potter.”

“You’re welcome.”  Harry forced himself not to look at Malfoy. 

“So, that was the portrait of my great aunt, you said?  Seems like a lovely woman,” he added, sarcastically.

“Yeah, that’s the mother of my godfather, Sirius.  This used to be the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, and Mrs. Weasley tried every possible way to take the portrait down and get rid of it, but Mrs Black found some way to make sure it was impossible.  She screams like that if the covers become undone or there is a loud noise.  Sorry I didn’t warn you about it.”

Malfoy just made a noise of acknowledgement, and rubbed slightly at his shoulder.

“Did you hurt your arm when you fell?” Harry asked, carefully.  He didn’t want to make Malfoy angry when they had actually been having a decent conversation and getting on for about half an hour.  It was a miracle, by anyone’s standards.

“Yeah, I fell hard on my shoulder.  Not that it’s any of your concern, Potter.”

“It is of my concern, actually, because it occurred in my home.  I don’t want you to sue me or something.”

“Sue you?  What the hell is that?”

“Muggle law.  A person can sue another for money if they feel they have been wronged in one way or another.  Never mind.”

“That is something I would have done in the past, but this summer…let’s just say I have learned a lot in the past few months.  About myself and the world.  Honestly, Potter, I just—I’m just so tired of fighting.  We are all adults, now.  Do you think we can call a truce and get on with our lives?”

Harry sat there, dumbfounded for a couple of moments.  Did he really hear that right?  After all that he had said to Ron about no more fighting and getting along, could it be true that it was _Malfoy_ that was calling for peace?

“I don’t mean we have to be best friends and frolic through the grass, Pot—,”

“No!  I mean, yes, ah, that would be great.  I think we have all had enough fighting to last us a lifetime.  It would be great if we could all get along.”  He thought about it a couple of seconds, and then said, “Truce, Draco?”  With that, he stuck his hand out to Malfoy.

A couple of seconds passed, and then a hand gripped Harry’s.  “Truce, Harry.”

Harry couldn’t help but smile, and he noticed one growing on the face in front of him, as well.  Maybe this year really would be great.

At that moment, he heard a rustle behind him, and noticed as his owl flew in through the open window.

“Handsome owl.”

“Thanks.  Got him a couple of days ago.  Still getting used to the idea, if I’m being honest.”  He flicked his wand and a few owl treats came and landed on the table.  Harry put them in his hand, and the owl came over and nipped them from his palm.  Harry rubbed the birds head.

“What’s his name?”

“Haven’t come up with one, yet.  Figured once I got to school, I could search through books and find something that would suit him.  Speaking of, we should probably get going.”

Harry stood up and put the cups in the sink.  As he turned back around, he noticed Malf— _Draco—_ move his head rather quickly.  _Was he looking at me?  No, way.  Couldn’t be._

Walking back over to the table, he again rubbed his owl’s head.  “Okay, mate.  I don’t think you would appreciate apparition, so when you are ready, head on up to Hogwarts.  I’ll come see you in the owlery tomorrow, and maybe I’ll have an idea as to what to call you.”  The bird hooted at Harry, and took out the window.

He turned to the fireplace and locked the floo. 

“Just have to run back upstairs and make sure I’ve got everything, and then we can go.”

“Following you.”

The two men walked out of the kitchen and ascended the stairs to the foyer. 

“Just a sec.”  Harry ran back up to his bedroom, grabbing the jumper that he had pulled out of his closet earlier.  Slipping it on, he patted his pockets to make sure he had everything.  Stepping back down to the second floor landing and moving into the sitting room to lock that floo, he had a thought. 

“Hey, D—Draco?” Harry called out.  He felt it was going to take a little bit of time to get used to that word on his tongue.

“Yes?”

Coming down the last of the stairs, he walked up to Draco and said, “This may sound odd, but would you be willing to ask your mother if she would be interested in several Black family heirlooms?  I seriously am planning on renovating this house, and, well, the furniture just isn’t my style.  It’s not like I can have a muggle sidewalk sale and sell the furniture.  I don’t want to just banish it, either.  I don’t know.  I just thought your mother might have…some interest or something.”

Draco was nodding and looking around the hallway as Harry finished talking.  “I’ll write her tomorrow.  She has a few pieces, but if nothing, she might be able to help move them on.”

Harry thought that his new burgeoning acceptance with Draco may be more helpful than he had ever previously imagined.  “That would be great.  Thank you.  Ready?”

Walking over to the door, he put his hand up to unlock it.  Hermione had taught him a spell so that the door would unlock and lock with just the touch of his hand.  He felt so much safer with all of the wards, the Fidelius charm, and all of the other spells that were put on the house when he moved back in.  No one he didn’t want to see was getting in.

Stepping outside, he let Draco pass and then turned to relock the door and to check the wards.

“Impressive wards, Pot—Harry.”

Harry chuckled.  “I have a feeling that it is going to take us both some time to get used to that.  Thanks, though.  We had to do a lot of reworking them when I moved back in, but I’m getting used to it.”

They started walking down the street, towards the closet apparition point.  Coming to the alley, Harry stepped in and stuck out his arm to Draco.  A split second hesitation, and then he was gripping Harry’s arm.  Turning on the spot, they were both twisted away.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

With a slight stumble, Harry and Draco landed just on the outskirts of Hogsmeade.  They both turned and headed towards the Hogwarts gates.  Harry was glad that he had grabbed that jumper; it was indeed a bit cooler. 

The pair walked in a comfortable silence up the slight hill.  Harry could see the gates just ahead, and see a few people walking inside the grounds.  He couldn’t tell exactly who it was, so he didn’t try and get their attention.

Suddenly, Draco stopped, looked at Harry, and then quickly looked down at the ground.  Harry stopped as well, with a questioning look on his face.

“Listen, I may never get to talk to you alone, again, so I just wanted to say—

At that moment, they heard loud voices coming up behind them.  Harry turned to see who it was, and saw that Ron, Hermione, and Neville were coming towards them.

“Harry! There you are!” Ron shouted at him, waving.

Harry waved back at them, and then turned back to Draco.  “You were going to say something?”

Draco looked at Harry, at Harry’s friends who were moving closer to where they were standing, and then back to Harry.  “Don't worry about it, Potter.  I'll see you around.” With that, he walked away, moving towards the castle.

Harry didn't know why, but he suddenly felt a deep sense of loss.  What was Draco going to say?  And why did he revert back to calling him Potter?  They had been getting on so well.  Sighing to himself, he turned back around and waited for his friends to catch him up.

“Was that Malfoy you were talking with?” Hermione asked.  “What did he want?”

“I gave him his wand this morning, remember? And then I apparated us here.  No big deal.”

Ron laughed bitterly.  “No big deal? Mate, this is Malfoy we are talking about.  Once a slimy git, always a slimy git.”

“Ronald, we've been over this…”

Harry tuned them out, instead turning and walking towards the gate.  He didn't feel like trying to convince Ron that Draco and he were on good terms.  Truce was not a concept Ron would be willing to accept, Harry knew.  As they stepped up to the double winged boars, they all pulled out their wands.  At the same time, they moved their wands in a circle.  The gate, while seemingly still shut, emitted a quick white glow.  They walked through the spires of the gate, and once on the other side, again the gate glowed white. 

They continued walking towards the front doors, walking past the Quidditch pitch.

“How depressing is it that we aren’t going to be able to play, this year,” Ron whinged loudly.

“I know.  I understand why, but it still doesn’t seem fair.  Maybe we can get enough to play pick-up games, though,” Harry replied.

Once they got a good look at the castle, Harry paused a moment to appreciate that it looked _normal._   He would forever remember the way the castle looked after the end of the war, all of the rubble that was strewn across the grounds.  He was impressed and very glad that everyone that was a part of the renovations were able to get everything back to perfection before school began.

They all walked through the double doors, and upon hearing noises, went into the Great Hall.  There they saw several more people from their year sitting at a table that was just below the staff tables, sitting horizontal in front of the four house tables.  As Harry walked forwards, he could finally see who all was returning for their final year at Hogwarts.  He saw Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Ernie Macmillan from Hufflepuff; Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson, and Millicent Bulstrode from Slytherin; Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan from Gryffindor; and Michael Corner from Ravenclaw.  In total, there were just fifteen people from their class returning to take their N.E.W.T.S.

As soon as everyone greeted each other (the former Slytherins and Gryffindors grudgingly nodding their heads at each other) the door behind the staff table opened, and Professor McGonagall stepped through.

“Good afternoon, everyone.  Thank you all for coming a few days before the rest of the student body.  I wanted to get you acquainted with the way things are going to go for you all this year, as well as get you to help with the last few finishing touches of the castle’s renovations.  _All_ of you were an integral part of the end of the war, and so I feel it is right that you be an integral part of putting together the final touches.”  She looked at all of the students in front of her, but took extra care to notice the four former Slytherins, all looking down at the ground, rosy cheeks adorning their faces.  “I mean it when I say all of you.

“Before I show you all your living arrangements for the year, I wanted you to meet in here to show you where you will be sitting for meals.  I expect you all to be an example for the younger students.  Remember: inter-house unity.  Some of you may not appreciate it at first, but I’m hoping that you are all adult enough to get over it.” 

She glanced between Harry and Draco when she said that.  Harry smiled slightly, glancing over at Draco, hoping to catch his eye.  Draco, however, was adamantly looking at the floor.

“I am hoping that if you all can get along with each other, then the younger students will feel more comfortable.  I appreciate all of your help with this.”

Receiving nods of agreement from the students in front of her, she beckoned for them to follow her.  “Alright, let me show you the 8th Year living quarters.  Because you all are a special circumstance, it was decided to take a part of the castle and form your own quarters, instead of trying to make extra space in the houses.”

Harry didn't know how he felt about that.  Gryffindor tower was his home.  Not being there for his last year was going to be strange. 

The group followed the headmistress up to the third floor.  As she turned right, Harry instantly knew where they were going: Fluffy’s corridor.  The door in which the trio had walked through to come face-to-face with the three headed dog was the door in which McGonagall stopped.  She said the password (Albus) and walked inside.  The group followed, stepping into a wide common room.

The room was unbelievably cozy, with plush chairs and couches a deep grey colour scattered around the room and surrounding the fire place on the right side.  The curtains surrounding the wall of windows on the left were a sheer white.  The carpets seemed to be woven with the colors of the different houses.  Several tables and chairs filled the back half of the room, with a large bookcase full of books sitting against the back wall.  The rest of the walls had paintings and tapestries across them.  Two doors could be seen half-way, leading to what Harry presumed were the dorms. 

Harry tried to take it all in.  McGonagall stopped in the middle of the room, and turned to the students.

“As you can see, there aren’t that many of you attending this year.  Because of this, I have mixed up the living arrangements.  Since there are just the five of you ladies, you all will be together in one room.  The door on the right will lead you to your room.”

The five women looked at each other, and then went towards their dorm.

“Potter, Weasley, Longbottom, Malfoy, and Zibini: you all are in dorm one.  Corner, Thomas, Finnigan, Finch-Fletchley, and Macmillan: dorm two.  I will leave you gentlemen to get settled in.”

She started towards the door, then stopped, turning back.  “Oh, I almost forgot.  I ask that you all be at dinner at 6:00.  I will give you more information then.  Please tell the rest.” With that, she walked out the door.

“Well, let’s go see what the rooms are like,” Harry said to the others.  He walked through the door, went up a set of stairs and came into a short hallway.  There were two doors that faced each other, each with a plaque on the door; the door on the left said ‘One’ and the right said ‘Two.’

Harry walked through the door on the left and found himself in a room that slightly reminded him of the dorm in Gryffindor tower, except this room was a long rectangle instead of a circle.  Two beds were on the left, two beds were on the right, and there was one bed at the very back of the room, facing the door.  There was a desk on the left side of each bed, and a wardrobe on the right.  On the right side of the room was a door that Harry assumed went to the bath.

Glancing at his roommates, he hurriedly went and claimed the bed closest to the door on the left.  He pulled his trunk out of his pocket, sat it on the floor, and waved his wand, expanding it back to its normal size.  He started pulling things out of the chest, putting his books and supplies on his desk, and then started to walk around the bed to put his clothes into the wardrobe.  As he did, he noticed who had taken which bed.  Ron was straight across from him, with Neville to Ron’s left.  Zabini was standing next to the bed and the very back, which left Draco with the bed right next to Harry.

Harry was putting his clothes up, hanging his robes on the door of his wardrobe, when he noticed Draco looking at him.

“What?”

“I just can't believe my eyes.  What happened to your three-sizes-too-big clothes, Potter? Finally realize you could have some semblance of style?”

Harry rolled his eyes.  “It’s Harry, if you don't mind.  And I burned my old clothes.”

“Impressive.” Draco gave him a slight smile, and turned back to his bed.

Harry finished putting his things into the wardrobe, then turned back around and saw Ron looking at him, giving him an exasperated look.

Sighing, he gestured for Ron to follow him to the common room.  They walked back out into the main room, and saw that it was empty. 

Before Harry could turn completely and look at him, Ron was already talking.

“What, are you and Malfoy best mates, now?”

“What in the hell are you talking about, Ron?”

“I don't know, you tell me!  Telling him to call you ‘Harry’ for one.  Since when did you become on a first name basis with a Death Eater?!”

“Keep your fucking voice down! Draco and I—”

“DRACO?!”

“Draco and I had a conversation, and we’ve decided to call a truce.”

“Are you out of your mind?  A truce?!” Ron’s voice reached an all-time high, his face as red as Harry had ever seen it.

“We have been over this and over this, Ron!  I don’t want to fight anymore!  Too many people have died!  No more!”

“Exactly!  My brother is dead!  Because of that git’s boss!  He doesn’t deserve to be here!

“I agree, but for some reason I was allowed back.”  The addition of that voice made both Harry and Ron turn around and gasp.  Malfoy stood in the middle of the room, hands in fists, down by his side.  The rest of their classmates were peering out of the dorm doors.  “I honestly didn’t think McGonagall would permit me to finish my education, but I’m here.  I just want to get my N.E.W.T.S. and move on with my life.”

“You should be in Azkaban,” Ron spat back.

“If it wasn’t for Harry, I would be.  Actually, if it wasn’t for Harry, I would be dead.  We all would.  I don’t want to fight.  I just... I just want to be.”  With that, he made his way across the common room and out the door.

Harry turned back around, staring at the rest of the 8th Years as they moved fully into the room.  “I’m serious.  Draco and I have called a truce.  I hope you all will join in.  Please.  No more fighting.”  He walked over to Zabini and stuck out his hand.  “Truce?”

Harry could see the man’s eyes roaming Harry’s face, trying to find something that wasn’t there.  After a couple of moments, he hesitantly took Harry’s hand.  “Truce.”

Harry nodded, removing his hand and walked over to where the women stood, searching out one face.  He stuck out his hand at Parkinson, saying “Truce?” 

The women looked like she would rather be anywhere else.  She shook her head quickly back and forth, not even daring to look Harry in the eye.  “I—I don’t deserve—”

 Harry gripped her hand in his, making her look up at him.  “No more.”  She nodded her head, shaking Harry’s hand at the same time.  Harry nodded back at her, then turned and looked at Bulstrode.  “No more?”  She looked down at his hand, and nervously took it.  “Okay.”

Harry nodded at her, and then looked back to everyone in the room.  “We should go down to dinner.”

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Harry had sped out of the Common Room in order to get away from everyone staring at him.  He had to come up with some way for his friends to understand what he was trying to do.  His ‘new beginning’ wasn’t going as he had planned.  As he walked into the Great Hall, he noticed that he was not the first one to enter.  Draco was sitting at the end of the table, with his head in his hands.  Harry walked up to the table.

“Anyone sitting here?” he asked, sitting across from Draco.

Draco looked up at him.  “Are you mad, Potter?  It’s probably not wise for you to be associating with me.  Your friends are going to turn against you.”

“Again, it’s Harry.  And I can ‘associate’ with whomever I wish to.  They’ll just have to get over it.  I’m tired.  No more.”

Draco just shook his head, and sneered at Harry.  “You’re an idiot.”

Harry just shrugged his shoulders, and heard as the rest of the group moved into the hall and sat down.  He moved down a spot, so Zabini—Blaise—could sit down across from Draco.  Parkinson— _Pansy_ —sat next to Draco, across from Harry.  She still couldn’t look him in the eye.

Hermione sat next to him, with Ron on her other side.  She leaned over to Harry and whispered, “I’ll talk to him” in his ear.  Harry tightly smiled at her.

McGonagall walked into the hall, followed by Flitwick, Slughorn, Sprout, and several other professors.  They all sat down at the staff table and started talking amongst themselves.  McGonagall stepped over to the students’ table and cleared her throat.

“Before dinner begins, I wanted to tell you that I am aware of what occurred in the common room.  Because of this, I want to make sure you understand: any wrong doings against a fellow student will result in a swift expulsion.  There will be a zero tolerance.  Do I make myself clear?”

Everyone flicked their eyes down at Ron, then looked back up at the Headmistress.  “Yes, ma’am.”

“You all are adults, and I expect you all to act as such.  I was hoping that I could tell you all this whilst everyone was getting along, but apparently, that is just too much to ask for with you lot.”  She shook her head.  “As I said, you are adults.  This means you are here in school by your own free will.”

Harry could swear he heard Draco snort quietly at that.

McGonagall continued.  “Because of this, I feel that you all should be granted a bit of freedom.  I reached out to the Board of Directors, and a conclusion was made: you have been granted permission to leave school property at the weekend.”

Gasps and excited chatter littered the table as wide smiles adorned their faces.

“You may leave as soon as your classes are finished on Friday’s, but I ask that you return for dinner on Sunday evenings.  Any misbehaving, during classes or out in public at the weekend, will result in your privileges to be revoked.  Understood?”

Everyone was nodding and talking excitedly to their neighbors as the Headmistress walked back up to the head table and sat down.  As soon as she sat, food appeared on the tables, and Harry forgot about all of the problems facing him as he caught sight of all of his favorite foods. 

_Ah, it’s good to be home._


	5. Links

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. I'm sorry!  
> 2\. I'm sorry!  
> 3\. Thank you!
> 
> 1\. I'm sorry that this is late! Real life is catching up to me, and I haven't had time to write the past couple of weeks. Then yesterday, when I was supposed to update, I worked an off-Broadway show at my local theater, and didn't get home until 1:00am this morning!  
> I am sore beyond belief (It's incredible how heavy everything is!) but it was so much fun. 
> 
> 2\. I'm sorry it's so short! Like I said, I haven't been able to write, so trying to get everything I wanted in this chapter didn't happen because I wanted to give you guys something, and not too late! So, here it is. Hopefully the next one will make up for it!
> 
> 3\. Thank you to everyone that has reviewed and commented. Even though I didn't get to respond to some of them, I read them all and took them to heart, as well. Thank you, again.
> 
> Until next time!! ~B.

Harry woke with a start.  He laid there for a moment, trying to figure out what had woken him.  He hadn’t been having a nightmare; quite the opposite, actually.  He listened into the room, and then he heard it: a muffled sob.  Peeking out of the curtains of his four poster, he saw the curtains of Ron’s bed swing violently.

Without even thinking, Harry jumped quietly out of his bed and rushed over to Ron’s, pulling the curtains wide.  The sight that accosted him made him grimace.  Ron was twisted up in his bedding, and thrashing about.  He was having a horrific nightmare.

Harry carefully jumped up on the bed, and grabbed Ron’s forearms.  He knew he had to be careful in waking Ron, or else he would get a fist in the face.  This had happened more than once, and he was not looking for it to happen again. 

“Ron.  Ron, wake up, mate,” Harry quietly said as he shook the man.

“Ron!  Wake up!”

“NO!” Ron screamed as he lunged forward, nearly knocking Harry off the bed.

“Ron!  It’s okay!  You’re okay.  It was just a dream.”  Harry soothed his best friend, releasing his arms. 

“Harry?  Oh, mate.  Oh, god.  That was terrible.”  Ron pulled his legs up and rubbed his face.  “I knew coming back to school was going to be difficult, but I didn’t realize how much so.”  He sighed and looked up at Harry.

“I know.  Being back is delving up memories for me, as well.  We’ve just got to push forward.”

“I know.”

“Think you can go back to sleep, or do you want to go down to the common room and talk?”

“I think I’m going to try to sleep.  We’ve got a long day ahead of us before the train arrives.”

“Okay.  You know where to find me if you change your mind.”  Harry looked at the worry lines on his best mate’s face, and wondered when they had gotten so old at such a tender age.

“Thanks, Harry.  ‘Night.”

“’Night.”

Harry walked back over to his bed, and pulled the curtains tight.  Curling into a ball, Harry closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

 

~*~*~*~

 

The alarm was what woke Harry up next.  Groggily, he turned over.  He didn’t hear much noise in the dorm, so he figured he was the last one up, and everyone else had already gone down to breakfast.

After only three days, Harry was getting used to living with the Slytherins.  For the most part, they were just keeping to themselves.  He had found out fast that they were both very neat.  Everything had a place, and there was a place for everything.  Harry almost felt sorry for them having to share a space with him and Ron.  Their dorm up in Gryffindor, while not exactly a sty, was far from spotless.

Pulling his curtains back, Harry stepped into the room and yawned, stretching his arms high in the air.

“Morning.”

Startled, Harry dropped his arms and twisted around.  “Oi! You scared me! I thought everyone was gone; it was so quiet in here!”

Draco smiled and quietly laughed.  “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.  Everyone left while I was in the shower.”

“Ah.  Well, good morning.  You headed down?”  Receiving a nod, he continued.  “Mind if I walk with you?”

With wide eyes, Draco again nodded an affirmative.

“Great!  Just let me change really quick.”  With that, Harry grabbed his clothes and stepped into the loo.  He washed his face, brushed his teeth, and tried to brush his hair.  He didn’t know why he even bothered, though.

Stepping back into the room, he looked over at Draco, who was perched on the edge of his bed, looking down at his hands.  “Ready?”

Draco quickly looked up at him, and with a nervous look, stood up and followed Harry out of the dorm and then out of the common room.  Once they were on the stairs, he finally spoke.  “Bet you are ready for the other students to get here.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Well, your girlfriend will be arriving this evening.  It’s been a few days since you’ve seen her.  I just presumed.”

Harry stopped in the middle of the hall, and gave Draco a confused look.  “Girlfriend?  What are you talking about?”

“The Weaselette.”  Draco said, giving him a look that showed how absolutely dense Harry was.  “Don’t even know who you are dating, Potter?  My, how you get around.”

Harry cackled loudly, continuing to walk down to the great hall.  “Ha!  Ginny and I are friends.  Just friends.  We broke it off right after the final battle.  Turns out we weren’t really right for each other.  Her new boyfriend is better suited to her than I ever was.”

“Oh.  I didn’t know.”

“Nah, how would you?  We’ve managed to keep it out of the papers, thankfully.  My life is always the talk of the nation, so we tried to keep it silent.”

They stepped into the hall, and made their way over to the table.  There were two seats left in the middle of the table, in between Hermione and Seamus.  Harry walked over and sat down next to Hermione.

 Draco hesitated a couple of seconds, took a deep breath, and sat down in the empty spot.  Nobody said anything, so he let out the breath, and put some eggs on his plate.

Harry could feel how tense Draco was, sitting in the middle of the table, and was about to involve him in conversation, when he heard the rustling of feathers as a few owls came in through the ceiling.  Harry glanced up and saw that his owl was making his way towards the table.  He wasn’t expecting anything, so he wasn’t prepared for the owl to land right in front of his plate, holding a letter.

Taking the parchment from him, Harry grabbed a piece of bacon off the plate and gave it to the bird.  Unraveling the letter, he first noticed the familiar elegant scrawl.  Then he read the words:

 

_Hello, my name is Orion._

Harry glanced over at Draco, slight blush on his cheeks and busily stuffing his mouth with food.  Glancing back up at the owl sitting in front of him, he said, “Orion, huh?  Does that sound okay to you?  Orion?”  He pet the bird’s head, and received a peck on his finger.  “Okay, Orion it is.”

He leaned over and lightly jabbed Hermione in the ribs.  She looked over and saw that the owl was on the table. 

“Hermione, meet Orion,” Harry said with a smile.

“Orion!  I like that!  Wait, wasn’t Sirius’s middle name Orion?  Oh, Harry!  That’s perfect!”  She smiled at him, and then turned back to Ron.

Harry looked back over at the owl, which was helping himself to the rest of the contents of Harry’s plate.  He hadn’t even thought about Sirius’s middle name.  Of course, that was absolutely fitting.  How had Draco—.

At that moment, Draco was standing, and preparing to leave the hall.  Harry quickly told Orion to go back to the owlery, grabbed a piece of bacon for himself, and then followed Draco out into the entrance hall.

“Draco!” Harry was practically running, trying to catch the blond man up.  “Malfoy! Wait!”  

Draco stopped halfway up the staircase, turning slowly to face Harry, infamous Malfoy sneer on his face.  “What, Potter?  What do you want? I'm a very busy person.”

“Look, I just wanted to say thank you.  That was brilliant. I never would have thought of that.”

“While I have no idea to what you are referring, I will say you are welcome. Now, I must be going; I have a project to finish before the rest of the students arrive.” He then bent in a bow, swiftly turning on his heel and continued his way up the stairs.

Harry couldn't help but smile, as he shook his head and turned back to the entry hall; he needed to finish his project, too.

On their first full day back, McGonagall had told them why she had requested them to arrive earlier than the other students.  Because their year had had the greatest impact on the war, she wanted each one to be a part in the restoration of the school. 

Millicent, Michael, and Ernie were helping with the final bits of renovations to the potions dungeons with Professor Slughorn. 

Justin, Dean, Seamus, and Blaise were helping Professor Flitwick finish part of the Charms corridor, as well as a bit of Ravenclaw Tower. 

Neville was of course with Professor Sprout in the greenhouses fixing Windows and re-potting in preparation for students.  Everyone was pleasantly surprised when Hannah and Pansy volunteered to help, too, though.

Ron, Hermione, and Susan were working on a statue that was to be placed on the road, just after the Quidditch pitch.  Hermione told Harry that it was to have every name of the people that had been killed under Voldemort’s rein of horror, which included the first war; James and Lily Potter’s names would be on it.

Harry wasn't sure what Draco was working on.  He had seen him talk with McGonagall the morning she had talked about the projects, and had only been seen at meals during the daylight hours, since.

Harry, himself, was proud of his project.  He had, too, spoken with McGonagall, and had gotten permission to contact a magical artist in order to get a portrait of Professor Snape made for the Head’s office.  If he was honest, it had taken a bit of convincing.  McGonagall was not too keen on the idea, but then Harry offered her Snape’s memories, as well as Harry’s memories of Snape’s death.

The pride on her face when they came out of the pensieve was evident.  After that, she gave Harry all the information he needed to get it done.

He was going to go to Diagon Alley that morning to see how it was coming along.  He was hoping that it would be ready by the weekend, so he could pick it up on his way back to Hogwarts. 

Harry could not wait to have his weekends free.  He was hoping to be able to get a few rooms done in Grimmauld before Christmas; he was determined to have Christmas at his home this year, in order to give Molly a break.

Harry walked back into the Great Hall, going to tell McGonagall he was going.  He hadn't told his friends what he was working on just yet, so as he stepped away from the staff table, Hermione came over to him.

“What are you up to, Harry?” She tried sounding nonchalant, but Harry knew her too well; it came out accusatory.

Harry gave her his most winning smile.  “My project, Hermione! What else?”

“And what is this project, may I ask?”

“If I told you, it would give away the surprise.  McGonagall is in on it, so you know it's nothing bad, ‘Mione.  I've got to go, or I'll be late!” He gave her a side hug, and then quickly walked out of the hall, through the entry, and out into the beautiful September weather.

As he began walking towards the gates, he saw Hagrid out with Fang, and made a mental note to go visit him the next day after class.  Harry was excited about classes, because after talking with McGonagall, he was taking a lighter load.  Although he no longer had aspirations to be an Auror, he decided to go ahead and take Potions. Charms, D.A.D.A., Transfiguration, and Herbology rounded out the rest of his classes.  He at first wasn't sure about Defense, but then decided, if nothing else, it would be an easy O.

Walking out of the gates, he continued on his way down to the village, and the nearest apparition point.  Harry still could not believe the freedom that they were to have this year at Hogwarts.  He promised himself that this year he was going to behave himself, so as not to lose his privileges.  Now that he was getting on with Draco, he thought it very well may be possible to hold himself to that.

Getting to the Apparition point, he swiftly pulled out his wand and twisted, hurtling himself through space and landed in front of the brick wall that led to the Leaky Cauldron.  He grinned at the sight of the people that meandered their way down the alley; it had been so sparse of people for far too long.

As he walked down the alley, he passed Ollivander’s.  He was pleased that the shop had been fixed up, and Mr. Ollivander had reopened business in late July.  His grandson was his new apprentice, and Harry was glad that the tradition would continue.  Walking just past the shop, Harry realized that he needed to ask Mr. Ollivander about the situation with Draco’s wand.  He had a meeting with the artist in five minutes, but decided to pop into the wand shop before he went back to Hogwarts.

Going past Gringott’s, Harry walked down a part of the street he had never been down before.  The _Prophet_ was down this part of the alley, as well as some more higher end clothing stores.  Soon, he came up to the studio of _Messrs Clothbroke and Chumes._

Stepping through the doors, Harry was greeted by a middle-aged woman with a kindly face that reminded Harry of Molly.

“Good morning, sir.  Is there something I can help you with?”

“’Morning.  Yes, I have a meeting with Mr Chumes?  Harry Potter?”

The woman gave a start as she finally recognized his face.  Harry tried to stop the grimace that was begging to appear on his face as he saw the recognition, but was able to keep it at bay.

“Oh, yes!  Of course, Mr Potter.  Right this way, please.”

Harry followed the woman around the desk she was seated at, and through a doorway on the left.  She walked down a long hallway that was covered in portraits of different people, all staring at Harry and then whispering to each other, some moving through the frames, following him down the hall.  Finally, she led him to a room on the left side. 

As he entered the room, he saw a large canvas sitting on an easel in the middle of the room.  He was quite impressed, as the painting depicted the snarl that was bestowed upon Harry every time he came in contact with Snape.  He had to shake his head to realize that the man was not indeed standing in front of him.

He didn’t have to wait long for Mr Chumes to come through a side door into the room. 

“Ah, Mr Potter!  Thank you for coming!  I wanted to show you how well it was coming along.  What do you think?”

“I must say, Mr Chumes, you are a wonderful artist.  I never understood how wizarding portraits were done, but this is incredible.”

“Thank you!  It’s never easy, but they always turn out in the end.  It should definitely be done by this coming Sunday.  That is the day you said you wanted to pick it up, correct?”

“Yes, if that was possible.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem at all.  When you pick it up, I will teach you the spell that will activate the magic, so when you get it in place, it will work.  He will then talk, and be able to move about the painting as well as others.  Does all of this make sense?”

Harry, who had been staring at the painting, mystified, came back out of the trance, and nodded.  “Yes, sounds great.  I will leave you to it, then, and be back Sunday around 4:00.  Will that work for you?”

“It’ll be ready.  Looking forward to seeing you again, Mr. Potter!”

Shaking hands with Mr Chumes, Harry walked back down the hall and into the reception area.  Saying goodbye to the receptionist, he made his way back out into the street. 

Glancing down at his watch, he saw that it was nearly 11.  Everyone would be on the train, preparing to head to Hogwarts.  Harry was tempted to join them, for one last voyage, but decided that speaking with Mr Ollivander was more important.

Stepping up to the shop, Harry took a deep breath and entered.  He was hesitant to talk to the man, because he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answers to his questions.  They had both felt something very strange that day.

Walking in, he heard the ding of the bell in the back of the shop.  He didn’t have to wait long, until the older man made his way to the front of the store.

“Mr Potter!  What a surprise!  To what do I owe the pleasure?  Did everything go as planned returning the wand?”

“Hello, Mr Ollivander.  Er, that’s what I was coming to talk to you about.”

Ollivander gave Harry a concerned look, as he beckoned him to come to his office in the back.  Harry followed behind the wizened man, through large cases filled with wands.  Coming towards a desk, Ollivander offered Harry a drink, and then ushered him into a chair.

“Tell me, my boy, what happened.”

Harry recounted the story of giving Draco his wand back, and the extreme heat that emitted from the wand, into their hands and arms.  As he gave every detail that he could, Ollivander’s face went from concern to intrigue, to understanding.

“Do you have any idea as to what happened?  I know you said that it was possible for me to still be able to use his wand, but this seemed a bit more intense than just that.”

Ollivander stared at Harry a moment, and then stood and started pacing around his small office.

“It appears that you and Mr Malfoy have a connection.  Without looking at the wand itself, I am not positive as to what extent it is.  However, it appears, from what you have told me happened, that the two of you are linked.  Bonded, if you will.  This means that yes, you can still use his wand completely, but this also means that he can use your wand completely. 

Harry was shocked at this information.  He suddenly became worried, because that was what he had tried to prevent.  Seeing the look on Harry’s face, Ollivander was quick to continue.

“However, I believe it is just your wand.  I know you were worried about the Elder Wand, but I don’t believe it is about ‘masters’, so to speak.  You were holding your wand in your wand hand, you say?  Well, I think it is because you were still holding it, that this happened.  A wizard’s magic is inside themself, and the wand is the tool that releases it.  Holding both wands caused a release of your magic into the Hawthorne, sealing the fate that the two of you can exchange impartially.”

Harry sat there, trying to wrap his mind around this information.  So, Draco wasn’t the master of the Elder Wand; this was good news.  However, he could use Draco’s wand and Draco could use his?  This was a conundrum. 

“Does all of this make sense?”

“I understand how, if my magic was released into his wand, that I could use his, but how is it that he can use mine if he wasn’t touching it?”

“Both you and Mr Malfoy are very talented wizards.  It is hard to say exactly what happened, but it’s possible that while your magic was inserting itself into his wand, his magic was transferring through you into your wand.  We may never know the  precise magic that occurred.  Understand?”

“Er, yes.  I think.  Thank you, sir, for all of your help.  I should get back.”  Harry smiled as he stood, shaking the man’s hand.  Mr. Ollivander walked him back up to the front, in which Harry turned and again shook his hand.  Taking his leave, he turned back up the street and Apparated back towards Hogwarts.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Harry was glad for the walk from Hogsmeade back up to Hogwarts.  He and Draco had a link, a connection.  What did all of this mean?  He kept thinking as he walked, and when he made his way through the door into the Common Room, he literally ran right into Draco.

“Oh! I’m sorry!” Harry exclaimed, trying to steady himself.

“Watch it, Potter. Salazar, you’d think with those huge glasses, you would be able to see when someone is standing in a doorway.”

Harry looked at Draco.  While his tone was his usual snarkiness, his face showed a smile.  Harry smiled back saying, “Well, if you were to get a little bit of sun on that pale skin, you might be able to be seen.  Seriously, Malfoy, you look like a ghost!”

The smile that was on Draco’s face, grew slightly bigger.  “Well, care to take a walk around the lake with me, then?”

Startled at the invitation, Harry took pause.  _Why not?  I like this side of Draco._ “Er, yeah.  I need to talk to you, anyway.”

Draco gave him a surprised look, but nodded his head, and turned out into the corridor.  The men made their way out of the castle, and started towards the Black Lake.  As they passed a large stone in the ground, Draco turned his head and looked at Harry.

“You needed to talk to me?”

“Er, yeah.  I went to Diagon this morning as part of my project, and decided to stop in at Ollivander’s.”

Draco’s eyes grew wide, as comprehension overtook him.

“And?”

“Apparently, we have a link; a bond.”  As he told Draco what Ollivander told him, Draco’s expression changed from interest to apprehension.

“So, what does all that mean?”

“As far as I can tell, it just means that we can use each other’s wands interchangeably.”

“That’s it?”

“I think so.”

“Well, I don’t guess that is too bad.  I was afraid it was going to mean we were going to have to kill each other or something.”

Harry smirked and said, “Well, you never know.  That might just happen anyway.”

Draco snorted, trying to stifle a laugh.  The grin on Harry’s face grew as the two men made their way around the rest of the lake, making small talk.  As they walked back into the castle, the smell of food reminded them it was lunch time, so they walked into the Great Hall.  There were only a few others eating, so they made their way to their table and sat at the end, facing each other.

A few minutes later, Ron and Hermione came in.  Seeing Harry seated near Draco, Ron made to walk to the other end of the table.  Hermione sent Harry a pleading look, but he just shook his head and looked back at his plate.  He did not feel like getting into it again with Ron.

They had been cordial at best since the blow up the first night back, and that morning was really the first time they had talked without the aid of Hermione.  It seemed that everyone thought Harry mad for trying to call a truce.  He didn’t care.  He knew they would all get into it again, and probably soon.  He just didn’t know how soon.

After lunch, Harry went back up to the Common Room, and wrote a letter to Andromeda.  He had yet to tell her that he would have weekends off, and so would be able to come visit Teddy more often than he thought.  Finishing his letter, he decided to go out to the owlery and have Orion take it.

As he made his way up the stairs, he heard voices coming from inside the tower.  Getting towards the top, he realized that it was Seamus, Dean, and Justin.  As soon as he walked in, they all stopped talking and looked directly at Harry.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to disturb.  Just wanted to send this letter,” Harry said, looking around for Orion.

“You didn’t disturb, we were wanting to talk to you, anyway,” Seamus said.

Harry didn’t like the tone to his voice, and after the disagreements he had had with the man before, Harry knew that this wouldn’t be good.

After beckoning Orion down out of the rafters, attaching the letter to his foot, and sending him flying, Harry turned back to the three men and said, “Yes?”

Now that he had Harry’s undivided attention, Seamus seemed at a loss for words.  However, after silently conferring with the others, he took a deep breath and said, “We don’t buy this truce thing.  How could you possibly be daft enough to go along with it?!”

Taken aback a bit, Harry forced himself to stand his ground.  “Excuse me?”

“Come on, Harry.  This is Malfoy we are talking about.  How do you know you can trust him?” Dean asked.

“I just do.  We have all been through so much in the past few years.  I just want the fighting and animosity to stop.”

“Even with Malfoy, though?  You two are practically sworn enemies.  He’s a Death Eater!  He may not have killed anyone, but he was a part of the problem.  We all know what he did.  He deserves to be in Azkaban! Surely you see this, Harry.”  Seamus’ voice was getting higher.

“You know what he’s done?  You know?  What’s that?  Done anything in his power to protect his family, even if that meant taking the Dark Mark and being forced to let Death Eaters into the school?  Used Unforgivables on people?  What?  You weren’t in the tower that night.  You don’t know how absolutely terrified he was.  He couldn’t kill Dumbledore.  He knew what would happen if he didn’t, and he still couldn’t do it. 

“And are you now saying that _I_ deserve to be in Azkaban because I used Unforgivables?  Is that your bases for being sent there?  I killed a man; he didn’t.  Should I be sent there?  I did everything in my power to make sure that the people I loved and cared for would be okay, just like he did.  Are you honestly telling me that if the roles had been reversed, you wouldn’t have done all of those things if someone told you that if you didn’t, he would kill your mother, and you knew it would happen?  Or your little sisters, Dean?  Can you seriously look me in the eye, and tell me that you wouldn’t do whatever it took to keep them safe?

“Yes, he was on the wrong side of this whole thing, but he was the same age that we were.  Could you have done all the things that he was forced to do?”

Harry’s face was completely red from exertion.  He knew he had been yelling quite loudly towards the end of that speech, but he didn’t care, either.  He had to make them see that they had to stick together in the aftermath of such tragedy.  He gave them a look, then said a bit calmer, “How are you not tired of all the hate?  I know I am.  It has seeped into my soul, and I just don’t want it to be a part of me anymore.  I’m done.  We need to stick together; if we continue with this ‘us and them’ nonsense, what’s to stop someone else from becoming a new Voldemort?”  He then turned and walked swiftly out of the door. 

As he stepped off the last step, he looked up and was startled to see a pair of grey eyes staring at him with absolute intensity.  Dread grew in his stomach as he asked quietly, “How much did you hear?”

“Enough.  I just—why?  Why would you say all of that?”

“Because I know it’s the truth, and everyone needs to hear it.  I trust you.  It may seem mad, but I do.”

Draco stood there a moment.  He looked at the ground, and then looked back up at Harry.  “Thank you.”  He thrust his hand out at Harry.

Harry stood there, dumbfounded, before taking the hand.  A warmth grew between their palms.  Before it got any hotter, Draco ripped his hand out of Harry’s, turned, and made toward the front door of the castle.

 _Well, this year isn’t going to be as simple as I was hoping it would be_ , Harry thought.


	6. Apologies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! Hope the holidays were wonderful for everyone.
> 
> Sorry it's been so long since I have updated, but this chapter just didn't want to be nice to me. There is a bit of a time jump (which I think will happen more often than not, now.)
> 
> I hope you will stick with me! The good stuff is coming, I promise. Hope to update soon!
> 
> ~B

Harry woke with a start, and instantly regretted it.

 _Oh, gods, why in the hell did I drink so much?_   Harry’s head was throbbing, his extremities felt like lead, and his mouth felt as if it was full of cotton.  He blearily opened one eye, and found that he was indeed in his own bed, but how he got there, he had no idea.

The 8th year students had been getting on very well the past few weeks, thanks to the wonderful invention of Firewhiskey.  Seamus had somehow been able to smuggle in several bottles, and so they partook of the spirits on Thursday evenings.  This was because the only class the group had on Friday’s was Potions, and since that didn’t begin until after lunch, they had ample time to overcome their hangovers before facing a professor.

Harry heard a noise in the room, so he took a moment to make sure all of his body parts were there and both his eyes were accounted for, then reached out of his hangings to grab his glasses.  Before he could reach them, though, a small vial was shoved into his hands.  Bringing his hand back in, he transferred the vial into his left hand, and again reached for his glasses.  Able to grab them this time, he shoved them onto his face, looked at the bottle and said aloud, “Oh, bless you, Malfoy.”

He heard a small chuckle outside his curtain and then swallowed the potion in one go. The taste of rotten eggs assaulted his taste buds, but then just as quickly, it changed to peppermint.  His head cleared instantly, and he felt he could move without vomiting all over his bed and himself.

He heard Ron groan from across the room, and then he heard a gasp and sigh coming from his bed; Draco had given him a Hangover Potion, as well.  It appeared he was making the rounds in their dorm, as he heard Neville next.  He smiled to himself, then got out of bed.

“Why do we do this to ourselves every week?” Ron asked the room.

“Because…we’re gluttons for punishment?”  Harry smiled at his best mate.

“Indeed.  We would never survive if it wasn’t for our own Potions Master.  Thanks, Malfoy.”

“Don’t say I never gave you anything,” Draco smirked from across the room, delivering Blaise his potion, then walking out of their room to deliver potions to the rest of their classmates.

Soon, the men were up and dressed, and walked out to the common room: they noticed Seamus and Dean sitting on the couch, eating breakfast.

“Did you get enough for everyone?” Ron was the first to say anything.

Seamus just laughed, and pointed to one of the tables near the window; it was covered in a buffet of foods.

Grabbing a plate and piling it with food, Harry walked over to one of the couches, and made himself comfortable.

Looking around the room, he couldn’t believe that they had already been in school for nearly two months; Halloween was only one week away.  In that time, so much had happened. 

They had been back for about four weeks when Seamus came back from the weekend sporting a huge grin.  Receiving several curious looks and inquisitions, he pulled out a bottle of Ogden’s finest, and declared that Thursday night, they were going to have a party.  Hermione was adamantly against it to start with, but she was worn down quickly.  They didn't know how they had gotten away with it for so long, but no one was complaining.

That Thursday, glasses were poured and passed around to everyone.  Ginny and Luna had joined them, too.  Before long, everyone was getting tipsy, and tongues were loosened.  Harry was sitting there, talking with Hannah, when he heard a voice rising above the others.

“I’m sorry.”

A few people stopped talking, looking towards the voice, but it grew louder so everyone heard it:

“I’m sorry.”

Draco was looking straight at Ron.  “Excuse me?”

“I’m sorry.  For everything I’ve done.  I know you will never forgive me, but I have to say it.  I've done some horrible things to you over the years, and while nothing I say or do can erase that, I need to apologize.  I’m sorry for making your life a living hell.”

With that, Draco had turned and went into their dorm room. 

Everyone else sat and looked at each other, stunned beyond comprehension.  Before Harry could stand and go to talk to Malfoy, Ron stood and walked into their dorm.  That stunned everyone even more, but quiet conversations were forming throughout the room, trying to figure out what had just occurred.

Harry stood up and walked toward the door, but realized immediately that a silence and a locking spell had been put in place.  He walked back to sit by Hermione, who had a worried look on her face.

When neither Ron nor Draco had come out of the room after 45 minutes, Harry decided enough was enough.  He walked over to their door and knocked loudly three times on it.

He waited a beat, and then did it again. This time, the door was opened, and as he walked inside the room, he saw that Draco was sitting at the foot of Harry’s bed, with Ron at the foot of his own, facing each other.

“Is everything all right in here?” Harry cautiously asked the men.

“Ron! What's going on in here?” Hermione appeared at Harry’s elbow.  The two men sitting on the beds glanced at each other and then at the two standing in the doorway.

“The Ferret and I were just discussing our lots in life, is all.  Everything is fine.” Ron gave a small smile.

Harry, looking absolutely bewildered, kept looking back and forth between the two.  “Excuse me?”

“We’ve had a nice chat, is all,” Ron said as he stood up and walked over to Hermione, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Draco stood up as well, and looked at Hermione.  “I owe you an apology as well, Granger.  I was a pompous snot when I was younger—well, I still am, but I'm working on it.  I've had horrible ideals drilled into my head all my life.  It has finally occurred to me how wrong they all are.  I'm sorry for calling you that horrible name.  And I'm even more sorry about all the things that occurred at the Manor in April.”

Draco continued to speak to Hermione, but Harry had stopped hearing what was being said, and was just watching Draco, instead.  He could see the sorrow etched in those grey eyes.  He was mystified by the man.  The more he stared at him, the more Harry realized how absolutely beautiful he was.  He had looked at him, sure, but never this close, and definitely not when Draco looked so sad and horrified at himself.

Harry suddenly came to when he saw Hermione reach out and cautiously shake Draco’s hand.  The small relieved smile in Draco’s face said so much.

This had begun the Slytherin’s Apology Tour.  Malfoy apologized to the rest of the 8th Years, one by one over the next few weeks, then moved on to Ginny, Luna, and a few other 7th years.  He then made his way through the professors and Hagrid.  Harry had even heard a rumor of Malfoy crying at the foot of Dumbledore’s portrait, but he didn't know if he believed it or not. 

He had apologized to everyone, except for Harry.  Sure, they had talked a bit when Harry had given him his wand back, but he had never received an official apology like everyone else.  He didn’t know how he felt about that.

Looking around at his friends eating their breakfast and making plans for their weekend, Harry looked at his watch.  Seeing it was nearing 10:00, he decided he'd better hurry and go to the library to finish his Charms essay that was due on Monday.  He was going to head to Grimmauld as soon as Potions was over, and he seriously doubted he would even think of picking up a book on the weekend.

Getting up, he went into the dorm and pulled out his bag, making sure he had everything he needed.  Going back out, he headed for the door.

“Where are you going, mate?”

Harry turned back to Ron and said, “Going to the library to finish my Charms essay.  I only have five more inches, so I want to get it done before I go to Grimmauld.”

Hermione gave him an appraising look, but the look that Ron gave him seemed to say ‘who are you and what have you done with Harry?’

Harry gave them a wave, and left.  Walking into the library, he was pleased to see it was nearly empty.  All of the younger students were in class, and it seemed those that had a free period were not inclined to do work.

He walked straight to his favorite table, setting his things down, and then went to get the book that he had been using for his paper.  Finding the large tome on the shelf where he left it, he made his way back to the table to find that there was someone sitting at it.

“May I join you?” Draco asked from the seat across from where Harry carefully set the book down.

“Well, it's not like I can deny you when you've already made yourself so comfortable,” Harry chuckled, seeing Draco’s rolls of parchment, quills, and ink covering the work station.

“Ah, you've discovered my dastardly plan. Make it so you have no choice but to allow me to take up your space.”

Harry could hear the sarcasm, but the look on Draco’s face made it seem like it was the truth.

The two sat quietly, working away for about an hour when suddenly he saw out of the corner of his eye someone come hurtling towards them.  Glancing up, Harry realized that it was Ron racing towards the table, with a large, wide grin on his face.

“Great, you're together!  You will never believe what just happened,” he said loudly, receiving a ‘Shhh!’  from Madam Pince.  Quieter, he went on, “We were all sitting in the common room when all of a sudden, a Patronus came zooming into the room! It was Slughorn’s, saying that he was going to have to cancel our class for this afternoon, which means our weekend starts early! How brilliant is that?”

Harry and Draco looked at each other, smiles that equaled Ron’s spreading across their faces.  “Wicked,” Harry breathed.  “I have two more sentences to write, and then I'll be done. Are you going home, Ron?”

Having finally caught his breath from running all the way from the common room, he took the seat next to Harry.  “Yeah.  Bill sent me an owl saying he and Fleur would be coming this weekend, so I'm going to see them.  What are your plans? You about finished with the sitting room?”

Writing his last word on his paper, he waved his hand over the parchment to let the ink dry.  “Yeah, nearly done.  Just have to paint.  I still need to go shopping for furniture, though, so I've been putting off finishing completely.  Maybe I'll have time to do that today.”  He started to pack up his bag, noting that Draco was doing the same.

“Well, I'm going to go.  I'm going to escort Hermione to her parent’s new place, and then head to the Burrow.  I'll see you Sunday!  Have a good weekend, Malfoy,” he said nodding to the blond as he stood up.  “See ya, Harry.”

“’Bye, mate.”  He watched as the tall man practically skipped out the door. 

He was so glad that Hermione was able to quickly find her parents.  Ron had gone with her; they left towards the end of May to go to Australia to find them.  It apparently hadn’t taken them too long to locate them. 

Hermione didn’t really want to talk about what she had had to do to convince them to come back to England with them.  He just knew that it had only taken them three weeks, and then they were back and she had taken her parents to St. Mungo’s.  They had only been in hospital for about a week when Hermione walked in to see how they were and her mother screeched, “Hermione!” and engulfed her in a hug. 

Their memories were still coming back, but they had bought a new home and were learning new things about their lives before the war on a now daily basis.  Harry was so glad that Hermione had introduced Ron to them, and they were getting to know their (probable) future son-in-law.

Smiling as his friend’s back disappeared from view, Harry turned and faced Draco.  “What are your plans for the weekend?”

“Seeing as my stomach still hasn't decided to join me, today, I don't think I'm up for a Knight Bus ride.  So, I think I'll just stay here.  My mother will understand.”

“I'll apparate you, if you want. That still might cause a bit of a stomach issue, but not nearly as bad as the Bus.  My floo is still connected to the Manor, because I am lazy, so we can apparate to mine, and then you can floo there.”

“I don't want to put you out—” Draco started, shaking his head and putting up his hands.

“Put me out of what? Apparating to Grimmauld?  I don't mind.  Seriously.  I got pretty good at side-arm in the last year,” he said with a slight grimace, thinking of their traversing across the country.  “Any time you want to, just let me know.”

Draco, shocked but pleased, couldn't help the smile that adorned his face.  “Thanks, Potter.”

As they walked into the room, they noticed that it had already been cleared out.  Only 3 people remained: Justin, Hannah, and Millicent.

“Oh, are you two staying, too?” Hannah asked as she saw them walk in.

“No, we were both in the library, so just found out.  Just have to put my stuff away, then I am headed out.  Have a good weekend,” Harry told her, making his way towards the dorm room.  Walking in, he put his bag on his chair beside his bed, and decided to change out of his uniform.  Undoing his tie, he walked over to his wardrobe, grabbing a pair of jeans and a deep burgundy jumper.  Putting them on, he then grabbed a jacket, and waited as Draco did the same.

Draco grabbed a box of chocolates, as well, and upon receiving a questioning look from Harry, answered, “These are my mother’s favorite chocolates from Honeyduke’s.  I haven't been home in a few weeks, but I bought this last week when I went into the village.”

Harry smiled at him as they walked out of the dorm.  Waving towards their classmates, they made their way out into the corridor.  The got as far as the first floor, when they heard a “Mr Potter. Mr Malfoy,” coming from behind them.  Stopping, they turned and saw Professor McGonagall coming towards them.

“’Morning, Professor,” Harry said, as she came up to them.

“May I ask where you are going so early, and where the rest of your classmates are?”

“Professor Slughorn had to cancel our class for this afternoon, so we are getting a start to our weekend.”

“Is that so? Well, maybe next time he would deem it pertinent to inform the Headmistress," she said with a huff.  "As it is, I'll bid you a good time.  See you on Sunday.”  Nodding to each, she turned and sternly made her way towards her office.

Chuckling, Harry turned around and gestured for Draco to follow him.  “Remind me to always be in her good graces, would you?”

“I'm sure being the Savior of the wizarding world makes that a sure thing, Potter.”

Grimacing, Harry replied, “I wouldn't be so sure on that.”

They walked out into the crisp October morning, seeing Hagrid off in the distance checking on his ginormous pumpkins, getting them ready for the feast next week.

Just before the Quidditch pitch, Harry made his way over to the new monument that stood just off the path.  He walked around to the other side, and finding what he was looking for, stared longingly at his mother’s name, before touching it and the name of his father, etched in the marble.  He then walked back over to the path, where Draco was still standing, watching the raven-haired man.

“Sorry.  I’ve come to do that every time I walk past it, anymore.”

“You don’t have to apologize to me.”

Continuing on their way, and walking past the Quidditch pitch, Harry readily changed the subject and said, “Ready for the Quidditch game in a few weeks?  Should be a great game.”

Seeing what Harry was doing, Draco replied, “Yeah, the chasers Hufflepuff has this year are impressive.  However, not as great as the Slytherin keeper,” he added with a smirk.

“True, but their new seeker will never be able to play as well as the person she replaced,” Harry said with a slight blush.

Taken aback from the offhanded compliment, Draco replied with a cheeky grin, “This is true.  However, she could be worse.  I mean, really, the old Gryffindor seeker was as bad as it could get.”

Harry started laughing, pushing Draco as they continued walking towards the front gate.

By the time they reached it, both men were laughing madly.  They passed through the gate, and made their way to the closest apparition point.  Harry extended his arm, and Draco curled his hand around Harry’s bicep.  Turning on the spot, they vanished.

 

~*~*~*~

 

Landing in an alley just up the road from Grimmauld, Harry peeked to see if anyone was near, then stepped out.  Draco’s hand was still clutching Harry’s arm, but he slowly released it, letting it lightly slide down the length of Harry’s arm, then letting it fall to his side.

Harry, feeling the light touch, got goose pimples down his arm.  Letting out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding, he started walking down the street, Draco falling in step beside him.

“So, you said to Weasley that you needed to go furniture shopping?” Draco asked as they crossed the street.

“Yeah.  He doesn’t know it, but I finished all the hard work on the sitting room a few weeks ago.  I just need to paint, which I will do tomorrow, but I’ve also been working on my bedroom.  I have cleared out most of the furniture in all of the rooms, putting it all in the attic, so now I need to go shopping for things. 

“I haven’t forgotten to ask my mother about the Black family furniture, but I wasn’t sure if you still wanted her help.”

“Absolutely! If she wants to, I’d love for her to have some of it.  I’ve already talked to Andromeda about it, in the off chance that she remembered something from her childhood that she might want, but she was adamant that she wanted nothing to do with it.  So, if your mother wants to come look, I’d be more than happy to get it off my hands.”

Nodding, Draco said, “I’ll ask her when I get home.”  They continued walking, but then Draco suddenly stopped, his mind catching up with what Harry had said.  “You…you talked to my Aunt Andromeda?”

Harry turned and saw the look in Draco’s eyes.  “Well, yes.  I’m her grandson’s Godfather.  I see her every other weekend, so I can see Teddy.”

“I had no idea,” Draco whispered, looking at the ground.  “My mother and her haven’t spoken since long before I was born.  I’ve never met her, but I have heard a few stories of her.  I knew I had a cousin, but was never allowed to speak about her when I was younger, and she had already graduated from Hogwarts before we started.”

Seeing the sorrow in the man’s face, Harry started walking again, looking over at Draco.  “Tonks was brilliant.  Clumsy as all, but brilliant.  She was a metamorphmagus, so she could change her appearance into whatever she wanted.  She could come up with the best disguises.  That helped her when she became an Auror.  She married Remus Lupin, and they had a son, Teddy.  He is also a metamorphmagus, and equally as brilliant as his parents.”

“How old is he?”

“He just turned six months, the other day.”

They had reached the front of Grimmauld, and so made their way up the steps to the door.  Harry held up his hand, and upon hearing a click, opened the door.  He let Draco go first, then followed, locking the door behind them.

“Remember, take care around the painting,” Harry quietly said behind Draco.  Nodding, he waited for Harry, and then followed him to the sitting room.  Once inside, Draco turned and looked at the work Harry had done.

The wallpaper had been taken off, with new crown molding and base boards around the walls.  The carpet had been ripped up, too, and the beautiful, polished hard wood shined bright.  The fire place seemed different, but the last time Draco was in here, he hadn’t really taken a hard look at it.

“When I pulled the carpet up, the wood was underneath, so I sanded it down, and put this lovely stain on it.  I decided that the plain brick fireplace was too boring, so I completely took it apart, and made it sandstone.  My favorite part, though, is the windows.”

Draco hadn’t even noticed until Harry said something.  Where the three windows had been once before, a bay window was in their place, with a beautiful bench the same colour as the floor.  It overlooked the front of the house, and upon further inspection, Draco could see the park across the street with people milling around.  “It’s beautiful.  I like the floor, too.  What colour are you going to paint?”

Surprised but pleased that Draco liked his work and was asking questions, he went over to the window and found the chip that had a colour palette on it.  “I can’t decide between these three colours.” Draco walked up beside him as he continued.  “I like the darker one, but if I find furniture that is dark, too, then it will seem like a dungeon in here.  But if I go with the lighter, I’m afraid that it will look too white.”

Looking at the three colours of grey on the card, Draco pointed to the colour that was in the middle.  “If you go with this one, you can still get by with a bit darker furniture, and still not have it too dark in here.”  Looking around at the room, again, he continued.  “Yes, definitely go with that colour, and don’t forget to get a clean white for the ceiling and the molding and base boards.”

“That was the plan.  I have an idea of the pieces of furniture I want, too, but I saw a rug in a magazine that I think would be perfect.  Here is the picture.”

Draco looked at the photo, which showed a picturesque sitting room.  Underneath the coffee table sat a large rug with splashes of black, white, grey, purple, blue, maroon, and turquoise all through it, with a large black border.

“I like it.  Very versatile.  You can work off that for your accent pieces.”

“Again, that was my plan.  I’ve never been one who can do interior design, but I am trying.  I am just finding things that make me happy, and seeing if I can work them in somehow.”

“That is basically all it takes.  I listened to my mother enough when I was younger that I picked up on quite a few things.  It got to the point where she would ask me my opinion, and then start changing her plans because she liked my ideas more.  It also helps that I have the lovely gay flare for design.”

“Wait.  What?!”

“What?  You had to have known that.  I’m much too pretty to be going after birds.”  He batted his long lashes at Harry, which made the man blush and laugh.

“I didn’t know that, actually.  I always assumed, because, you know, Parkinson.”

“Ha! Pansy?! Oh, I can’t wait to tell her that!  No, she is one of my best friends, nothing more.  I hadn’t told my parents until Christmas of 5th year, so I couldn’t very well ask a boy to the Yule Ball, and as she was crushing on someone that she couldn’t ask, so we went together as friends.”

Harry knew his face was turning a deeper shade of pink, but he didn’t care.  “Huh.  Wonder if my gay flare for design will ever show up.  That would be mighty helpful with all this decorating stuff.”

It was Draco’s turn to say, “Wait.  What?!”

Smiling sheepily, Harry nodded.

“But, girl Weasley, and… and that Ravenclaw seeker!  What about them?”

“Well… with Ginny, I think I just thought it was the logical thing to do.  Her family was the closest thing to a real family I ever had.  Her brother is my best mate.  I just seemed the thing to do.  And with Cho, I was trying to console her grieving over Cedric, and she kissed me.  That was really all there was with that.  But, I realized… yeah.  So, there’s that.”

He didn’t know why he was telling Draco Malfoy all of this.

“Well.”

“Yeah.”

They both looked around the room, avoiding looking at each other.  Finally, Draco said, “Well, I should probably go.  Um, if you want any more help with anything, let me know.  I’ll talk with my mother about looking at the furniture.”

“Thanks.  I appreciate it.”  Nodding his head, Draco grabbed a handful of powder, stepped into the fireplace, and disappeared in a swirl of green flames.

 

~*~*~*~

 

Harry called for Kreacher, who popped into the room, and upon receiving a request for tea, popped back out.  Harry went up to his bedroom to start figuring out measurements.  He had only been upstairs for around 30 minutes, drawing a floor plan of what he thought would work, when he heard a “Potter!” coming from the floo.

Bounding down the stairs, he yelled, “Just a sec!”  He walked quickly into the room to see Draco’s head in the fireplace.  Sitting on his knees in front of it, he said, “Hey! Wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon!”

“Mother said she would love to be able to come look through the furniture, if you weren’t busy?”

“You mean right now?”

Receiving a nod in response, Harry said, “Sure! I don’t mind at all.  Please, come through.”

Standing up, he awaited his guests.  He found himself extremely nervous of coming face to face with Narcissa Malfoy again, but the prospect of getting rid of the furniture that creeped him out made him giddy, too.  However, how did he greet her?  Did he shake her hand? Kiss it? Did he bow?  He didn’t know too much about pureblood decorum.

The flames flared up, and in walked Mrs Malfoy, followed seconds later by Draco.

“Mr Potter,” she said in her aristocratic voice, but with a smile on her face.

Harry gulped as he bowed slightly.  “Mrs Malfoy.”

“Please, do call me Narcissa.  Draco has told me about your new-found friendship, and I hope that will extend to me, as well.”

Taken aback, Harry glanced at Draco, who gave him a small smile.  “Well, thank you.  I’d like that.  But, please, call me Harry.”

“Harry it is.  Draco said you were renovating this house.  I dare say it was in dire need of it the last time I was here, when I was a young girl.  I applaud you for making it a home.”

“It needs a lot of work, but I am hoping that I can make it livable again.  The furniture in question, though, I have put in the attic.  If you’ll follow me?”

Harry led the two Malfoy’s up the stairs to the top landing.  Tapping his wand on a wall, a door formed that led to the attic.  The trio made their way up the narrow stairs to a large space that covered the entirety of the house.  There was a main path starting at the stairs and making its way across the room, but there were also smaller paths that branched off so that it was possible to get to items that were against the eaves of the roof.

“I have gone through everything, and have already put back the pieces that I wish to keep, majority of which had belonged to my Godfather.  Everything that is up here, I would like to get rid of, and hope that you will want some of them, or at least know of a place to which I can take them.”

Narcissa began walking through the furniture, saying things like, “Oh, that is beautiful,” or “I remember that from my great-grandfather’s house!”  She was about half way across the room when she turned and said, “May I mark the items that I want and get them a few at a time?  I will need to find places for them, you see.”

“Of course, that is fine with me!  They are not in the way of the remodeling, so it is fine.  If you don’t need me, I am going to go back downstairs.  Just let me know if you have any questions.”

Receiving a ‘thank you’ Harry nodded to Draco and went back down the stairs to the landing.  He walked into his bedroom, picking up his tea cup and the notebook that had his floorplan on it.  He sat on the floor, and started sketching again, talking quietly to himself.  Coming up with a plan that he could live with, he decided first that he needed to pull up the carpet.  Walking over to a corner, he pulled out his wand and cast a spell that lifted the edge.  Getting it pulled up enough that he could grab it, he started manually rolling it up. 

He was nearly to the other corner on the same end wall when he was startled by a laugh behind him.  Turning, he saw that Draco was standing in the doorway of the room.  “Of course you would have Gryffindor banners in your room.  However, after the revelation you told me earlier, I can’t believe you have  _those_  on your wall,” he said, pointing at the posters of the half-naked biker girls that Sirius had put up to annoy his parents.  Harry couldn’t help but laugh.

“Sirius put those up when he was a teenager to hack off his parents.  We’ve tried everything, but he used one hell of a strong permanent sticking charm.  I’m just going to have to take the whole wall out, I think.”

With a confused look on his face, Draco asked, “You can do that?”

“Yeah!  I’m going to do that wall, as well as those,” pointing to the ones on the left of the room.  “I am hoping to open up the space between this room and the room next to it, in order to make a master suite.  That way, I can have a large walk-in closet, and a bathroom.”  Harry picked up his notebook, and showed it to Draco.  “See?  This is my design.  Take those walls, open it up, put the bath there.  I think it will work, don’t you?”

Draco looked at Harry and said, “Potter, how can you say you don’t have a gay flare for design?  That is brilliant.  I never would have thought of taking out a wall in order to make an en-suite.  Seriously.  You’ve got the flare.”

“Thanks, Malfoy.  I can do this side of things, it’s the actual decorating bit that gets me flustered.  I mean, it took me forever to narrow it down to those three colours, but deciding on just one?  Forget it.  And I knew that rug was perfect, but trying to find everything else to go with it?  That’s why I’ve been putting off going furniture shopping for so long.  It’s too bad I can’t convince you to help me with that part.”

“Actually, that could be a lot of fun.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah, why not?  I’m up for it if you are.”

“Er, well, okay, that would be great.  Um, there’s just one thing.”

Seeing the look on Harry’s face, Draco became slightly concerned.  “What’s that?”

“I have been avoiding Diagon Alley because of, you know, obvious reasons, so I was planning on going shopping in the muggle world.  Is that going to be a problem?”

“Savior Harry Potter, not wanting to see his adoring fans?”

“Oh, har har, Malfoy. Whether you want to believe it or not, I hate the attention.  It is so disconcerting.”

“Okay, big words now, too?  Who is this new  _gay_ Potter?”

“Shut up! I have been able to keep that out of the news for a while now!  I’d like to keep it that way, if possible?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.  Anyway, back to what we were talking about.  I’ve never actually stepped foot in the muggle world, but let me see…”  He started ticking off on his fingers, “Not being recognized on the street.  Not getting yelled at for having the Mark on my arm.  Not getting punched in the gut because of said Mark.  Not getting told that I don’t deserve to live.  Hmmm.  Yeah, I think I would be okay with not having to deal with all of that.”

Harry had paled while listening to Draco.  “That—that’s happened to you?”

“Every time I go out, yes.  I’m getting used to it.  No big deal.”

“That is a big deal, Malfoy,” Harry growled.  “No one deserves that.  Besides, you were acquitted!”

“That doesn’t mean anything in the eyes of the public.  I’m a pariah.  I’ve come to realize that.  It’s okay.  Anyway, when do you want to go shopping?  I don’t have any plans this weekend.”

Harry couldn’t believe what Draco was saying, but knew he was defeated for the moment.  Looking at his watch, he said, “What about this afternoon?  We can go to a few stores that are a couple of roads over.”

“That sounds fine with me.  I’ll let mother know when she gets done with her looking.  I’ll go back up there, if you want to continue with what you were working on,” he said, motioning to the forgotten carpet.

“Nah, you can stay.  I wouldn’t mind the company.  It’s been eerily quiet being by myself.”  He went back over to the roll of carpet, continuing to pull and roll it up.

He had gotten to the other corner and was preparing to slice it from the edges of the wall with his wand, when he felt a presence beside him.  Glancing up, he saw the look of determination in Draco’s eyes.  “What?  I may be a pretty face, but if you can be a strong man and do hard labour, then so can I.”

Harry couldn’t help but laugh as Draco took off his coat, shrunk it and put it in his pocket.  He then unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt, and started rolling up his sleeves.  Harry’s smile slowly slid of his face as the Dark Mark came into view.  Hearing Harry’s small gasp, Draco turned to look at Harry. 

He quickly realized what he had done, and saying, “I’m sorry,” he started to unroll his sleeves, and turned to walk out of the room.

“No! It’s okay,” Harry said, grabbing Draco’s left wrist.  He looked at it, and then looked up at Draco.  “It’s okay. Er, still willing to help?  Great.”  Releasing his arm, Harry explained to Draco what they needed to do to get the carpet up, and soon they had a roll of old, dusty carpet.  With a swish of his wrist, Harry vanished it, leaving the room empty.

They had just finished when they heard Narcissa coming back down the stairs.  “Oh, Harry! Thank you so much for letting me look at the furniture.  I just took a wonderful trip down memory lane.  Draco, I found some chairs that once belonged to your great-great-great-grandparents!”  She turned and smiled at Harry.  “I marked the pieces that I want for myself, but like I said, I have to find the space for them.  The rest, too, I know exactly where you can take them.”

She suddenly seemed to realize where they all were standing, and seemed to pale, if it was possible.

“Oh, this was Sirius’ room, was it not?  It already seems so different.  Would—would it be possible to take a tour?  I haven’t been in here since I was very small.”

“Oh.  Of course.  Follow me.”

Harry showed Narcissa and Draco the different rooms on each floor, telling them his plans for each, making their way downstairs.  On the first floor, Harry walked over to the drawing room.  “This is the drawing room, which has the Black family tree in it.  Both of your names are on here, of course.”  Seeing the looks on both Malfoy faces, Harry showed them into the room.  “I can’t bring myself to take it down, for some reason, even though the people that mean the most to me have been burned off,” beckoning to the names of Sirius and Andromeda.  Narcissa walked over to the tapestry, and lightly touched the spot where Andromeda’s name had once been.

“Do you—do you speak with her?”

Cautiously, Harry said, “Er, yes, I do.  I was telling Draco earlier that I am her grandson’s Godfather.  I see them every other weekend, so I can spend some time with Teddy.”

Narcissa smiled sadly, and then turned back to Harry.  He took that as his cue, and walked back out.  When they were on the steps headed toward the entryway, Draco whispered in his mother’s ear.

“Harry, is there really a portrait of my Aunt Walburga?” Narcissa asked.

Harry stopped and turned to look at the woman.  “Er, yeah.  Right here.”  He waved his hand at the curtain that was covering the portrait.

“But why is it covered?”

Before Harry could respond, Draco said, “Because she is not as lovely as you once remember her.”

“I don’t understand.”

Harry and Draco looked at each other, Draco giving Harry a nod of the head before covering his ears.  Taking a deep breath, Harry pulled the curtains back, and then covered his own ears. 

“HALF-BREED SCUM!  BLOOD TRAITOR!  DIRTY FREAKS!  GET OUT!  GET OUT OF THE HONOURABLE HOUSE OF BLACK!”

Harry quickly reclosed the curtains, and all was silent again.

“Oh, my.”

“Yes.  As you can see, she is a wonderful woman,” Draco smirked.

“Honestly, Draco.  That is your kin.  I will admit, though, she doesn’t seem to have changed much from the last time I saw her.”

Harry was turning red from the exertion of trying to hold in his laughter.  Taking a couple of deep breaths, he said, “We have tried multiple times to take the portrait down, but again, a very strong permanent sticking charm was used.  I’m afraid she will always be there. 

He showed them into the dining room, and told them his plans for in there, and then walked back out and down the stairs to the kitchen.  As soon as they walked in, they all noticed a full tea set out on the table, with biscuits and little sandwiches.  Harry smiled and then realized exactly how hungry he was.  He could see Kreacher lurking in the corner, so he said, “Thank you, Kreacher.”  The elf bowed slightly, but when he saw who was coming through the door behind Harry, he squeaked and bowed all the way to ground, his nose touching the floor.  “Mistress Narcissa.  Master Draco.”

“Thank you, Kreacher.  Shall we?”  Narcissa led the way over to the long table and took a seat.  Harry sat across from her, and Draco sat next to Harry.  Harry flicked his wand and tea was poured into the three glasses.

“Thank you for your wonderful hospitality, Harry.  I hope that when you are finished with your renovations, I will be invited back to see your progress.”

“Oh, of course.  You—you are welcome any time,” Harry stammered.

They three of them enjoyed their tea, chatting amiably about their classes and being back at Hogwarts.  All mentions of the war and the final battle were nonexistent, which Harry was very glad for.  Finally, Narcissa prepared to leave, telling Draco to come along.

“Actually, mother, Harry has asked me to accompany him to go furniture shopping for some of the rooms this afternoon.”

“Oh, how wonderful.  Well then, you two have fun on your outing.  I will see myself out.  Thank you again, Harry.  I will let you know soon about the furniture.”

Harry stood as she did, shaking her hand.  Once she was gone, and he heard the floo flare, he turned and looked at Draco.  “Your mother is not at all what I imagined or remembered from this summer.”

“Yes, well, this is what she was like when I was growing up.  Once everything picked up again, with the Dark Lord, she kind of shrunk into herself.  Thanks to you, I seem to have my old mum back.”

“Well, are you ready?  I think there is a store about 5 blocks over, and another close by it that might have the rug I was looking at.  Do you mind walking?  I am not sure if there is an apparition point over there.”

“Not at all.  Let’s go.”

Harry spoke to Kreacher, and then they made their way to the entry way.  Draco accio’d his coat, which he had left upstairs, and once Harry put on his, they went out the front door, turning right.

Harry, knowing where he was going, was finding it absolutely endearing how befuddled Draco was with everything muggle.  The man had not lied when he said he had never been in the muggle world.  He was asking Harry questions about everything, from lorries to stop signs to light poles and everything in between.  When they stepped into the first store, Harry had to try and quickly explain how the fluorescent lights worked by electricity, before a salesperson came over to greet them.

 The men each went a different way, and began walking around the store.  Harry was looking at side tables, finding some lovely ones made from mahogany.  He was walking around a bench, when he heard a “Hey, Po—Harry, come here.”

He looked over to where Draco was seated on a large navy blue couch.  Draco moved over so that Harry could sit down beside him.

“Isn’t this unbelievably comfortable?  It reminds me of the couch in front of the fire.”

Harry couldn’t disagree.  It was plush, but didn’t completely sink when sat upon.  It was wide, so he knew he could curl up, and wouldn’t have his extremities hanging off.  It was also really long, so it would be perfect to take a nap on. 

Draco, having been smart enough to have grabbed the paint palette and picture of the rug, pulled them out and laid them on the seat in between them.  “It would go with your plans, too.  Put some colour accents on it that match the rug, and it will be perfect.  I think you should get this one.”

Standing, Harry bent over to check the price tag.  It was just about what he had expected to spend, so he decided that it would be perfect.  Draco had stood, too, leaning over to see what Harry was looking at. 

“Oh, shit! I just realized you have to pay in muggle money! We didn’t go to Gringott’s before we came!” Draco whispered in Harry’s ear.

Ignoring the shivers that went through his body at the feel of Draco’s breath on his neck, Harry whispered back, “It’s okay.  I have one of the new cards that look like muggle credit cards.  The money comes from my vaults.  I haven’t used it yet, but I guess this is as good a time as any to try it out.”

“Oh, okay.  So, this couch… what else were you thinking?”

Harry and Draco spent the next hour walking through the store, finding pieces that would work in the room.  Harry was grateful for Draco coming along, and continually told him so.  He had an idea of what he wanted, but with Draco’s help, he was able to find stylish pieces that all seemed to all fit together.

After deciding on the couch, two chairs, a coffee table, four end tables, and a few accent pieces, both men were satisfied.  The salesman that was helping them had taken all of the tags up to the front.  They were following him, when suddenly Harry stopped dead in his tracks and grabbed Draco’s sleeve.  Seeing the look of fear in Harry’s eyes, Draco stopped and asked what was wrong.

“How are we going to get this stuff back to Grimmauld?  I don’t have a car.  It’s under a Fidelius, so I can’t have it delivered.  Shite, I thought it was going to be easier to go to a muggle place.  I didn’t even think of the getting it home part.”

Draco stood there for a beat, and then said, “Don’t worry.  I’ve got an idea.” Draco gave Harry a wicked smile.

Harry had seen that look before, and it made him doubly worried.   _This can’t be good,_  he thought.

They went up and paid for it, and when the man asked them how they wanted to get the furniture, Draco shot Harry a look and proceeded to say “We’re going to pick it up.”  Harry didn’t know how that was going to be possible, but he just went along with it.  The man told them that there was a door on the side of the building, and that a man named Charles would be there to help them load it up.

After thanking the man, Harry and Draco left and walked around the building.  “How exactly are we going to ‘pick it up’ when we don’t have anything to put them in?” Harry asked, concernedly. 

Draco just turned and looked at Harry.  “Do you trust me?” 

Harry paused a moment, and then nodded his head.  “Alright then.  Don’t worry, I’ve got an idea.”

Now even more nervous, Harry continued following Draco to the opening.  A man was standing there, with all of the furniture, in the opening.  He inquired about a vehicle that he could put the furniture in, to which Harry could see Draco shake his arm to release his wand.  Before he could stop him, Draco had whispered a quick “Confundus” and the man had shaken his head, turned, and walked back inside.  Harry gave Draco a disgruntled look, but before he could even voice his displeasure, Draco had again waved his wand and shrunk all the furniture, putting it in his pocket.

“Oh, don’t give me that look!  It’s not like I hurt him or anything!  It was that or give away the location of your house, and the possible wrath of the ministry.  Which would you prefer?”

Harry didn’t like the idea that Draco was right, but upon telling him so and receiving a wink in return, Harry gestured for Draco to follow him to their next destination.

They walked a few blocks over, and came to another store.  Walking in, Harry looked over at Draco and chuckled.  Draco’s eyes were widening as he took in the mountains of pillows, rugs, clocks, and other accessories.  His grin reminded Harry of his own smile the first time he stepped into Honeyduke’s.

It didn’t take long for them to find the rug that Harry had wanted, along with quite a few accent pieces to put around the room.  Draco did the Confundus charm yet again, shrunk the purchases, and put them in his pocket.

By the time they had finished their shopping, it was getting darker and Harry realized how hungry he was becoming.  Feeling another rumble in his stomach, Harry turned to Draco.  “Er, so do you have dinner plans with your mum?  Or would you want to get some take-away and, um, go back to mine?”

With wide eyes, Draco turned and looked at Harry.  “You—you are inviting me for dinner?”

“Yeah, ‘course.  It’s the least I can do after all your help today.  So?  What do you say?”

“Yeah, sure.  But won’t your house elf have fixed you something?”

“Nah, Kreacher only cooks when I ask him to.  When I’m there, I either go get something, or sometimes I cook myself something.”

“You can cook?  I had no idea.”

“Yeah.  I did nearly all the cooking when I was living with my relatives.  I am trying to learn some new recipes, but it is kind of hard when you’re only cooking for one.  Anyway, there is this amazing Indian restaurant down the street.  Does that sound okay?”  Seeing the look of pure confusion, Harry started laughing.  “Sorry, I forgot who I was talking to.  How about this; are your taste buds up for a culinary adventure?”

With a still confused look, Draco numbly nodded his head, and followed Harry as he made his way to the restaurant.  Draco stood quietly next to Harry as the man ordered their food, and then followed as Harry started walking back to Grimmauld.

Walking back into the house, Draco headed for the kitchen, with Harry following.  As Harry grabbed plates and silverware, Draco removed the food from the bags.  As they sat across from each other, Harry chanced a glance up at Draco’s face.  Draco was staring right back at Harry.

“Thanks, Harry.”

“Of course.  It’s just dinner.  Thanks for all your help today.  I really appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome, but, that’s not what I’m talking about.”  Seeing the serious look in the grey eyes, Harry placed his silverware on his plate and crossed his arms on the table.

“Draco? What’s wrong?”

“I have apologized to everyone, except for you.  I’ve been trying for weeks to get you alone long enough to have this conversation, but every time I think I can do it, someone comes in and starts talking to you.  I have to do this now, or I may never get the chance again.

“Do you remember our very first day at Hogwarts, when you refused to shake my hand?  That was the day that I decided to make your life hell.”  Draco looked down at the table.  “The great Harry Potter didn’t want to be friends with  _me_? Well, then, let’s make him miserable.  I truly wish I could take everything back.  Truly.  If I knew then, what I know now…”

Taking a deep breath, he tried to keep the tears that were filling his eyes at bay.  “I was unbelievably furious when you got away with things.  Of bloody _course_ you always got your way.  The perfect Gryffindor, always there to save the day.  I—I would hear the rumours of the things that you did throughout our school years, and just couldn’t believe that it was always you that fixed everything. 

“When your name came out of the Goblet of Fire, I nearly came unhinged.  How in the hell you managed to get into the tournament was beyond me.”

“I didn’t put my na—.”

“I know you didn’t do it, but at the time, I thought you had.  I’ll be honest—I was hoping that something terrible would happen to you.  Then you came back out of the maze with Diggory’s body, and I knew something terrible had indeed happened.  I didn’t know what to make of it, though.  Then, I received a letter from my mother the next day telling me that the Dark Lord was back.”

A tear slipped down his right cheek, Draco swiping at it instantaneously.  “I just— Then the worst year of my life happened: sixth year.  I was trying to protect my family and do what I was told, but I just wanted it all to end.  And then you showed up in that bathroom. 

“Just seeing your face in the mirror made all the anger that I had been feeling towards the Dark Lord, my parents, Snape, Dumbledore, _everyone_ , come coursing out of me.  I’m sorry that I lashed out at you. I know that spell you threw was in self defence.  I also know you didn’t know what it did.  But what you don’t know is, at the time, I wished that you had succeeded in killing me.”

Harry gasped as those words left Draco’s mouth.  He could see in his face that he meant it.

Harry could not even dream of understanding all that had gone on in Draco’s life that year.  He recalled crouching under his invisibility cloak, seeing the terror etched on his face as he stood before Dumbledore.  He mentally shook himself as Draco continued.

“I knew what was coming for me and my family if and when the war happened.  Everything was…”

He took a big, gulping breath.  Harry waited for him to continue, and after a few moments, he did.

“When you, Granger, and Weasley showed up at the Manor in April, I couldn’t believe that you were stupid enough to get caught.  I wanted you to win.  Hell, I was counting on you to win.  Even if that meant that I spent the rest of my days in Azkaban, at least the Dark Lord would no longer be.  That is why I didn’t tell my aunt that it was you. 

“It was absolute hell when he was told you got away.  He…”

A sob rent through his body, and Harry couldn’t hold back anymore.  He quickly made his way around the table, sitting next to Draco, and grabbed him in a hug.  “It’s okay.  It’s over.  All of it is over.”

Gripping onto the back of Harry’s shirt, and in-between sobs, Draco continued.  “Because of you.  Everything boils down to you.  You saved me in that fire.  And then you stood up in court and spoke for me and my mother.  When I saw you stand and start speaking, I couldn’t believe my eyes.  When I was sitting in the cell at the Ministry, I kept reliving the moment when I looked up and saw you barreling towards me on that broom.  After all the horrible things I have done to you, you didn’t leave me there.”

Releasing Harry enough so that he could look him in the eyes, Draco asked, “Why is that?  Why didn’t you leave me?  You had the opportunity to get rid of me for good, and you didn’t do it.  Why not?”

“Because no one deserved that horrific of a death.  If there had been any way that we could have saved all three of you, I would have done it.  But besides that, Voldemort was the only one that  _deserved_  to die that night.  I carry the deaths that occurred that night with me every day.  And believe it or not, I am glad that you are not part of that.”

“And then I went and did even more horrible things after coming out of that room alive.  I wish I could take it all back.  I wish—I wish…”  He broke down into more sobs.

Harry just sat there, his arm around Draco’s shoulder.  Harry was never one for knowing what to do with emotional people, and it didn’t help that this was _Draco Malfoy_.

After a bit, he gently said, “Hey.  Hey, it’s okay.  You’ve already started making amends.  You’ve apologized to everyone.  You’re making friends with _Hufflepuff’s_.”

Draco lifted his head, and while sniffing, chuckled to himself.

“Don’t think I didn’t see you and Ron playing chess the other day, too.  Just keep doing what you’re doing, and you’ll be amazed what comes out of it.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

Draco played with his fingers a moment, flexing them back, before looking up into Harry’s eyes and saying, “Do you still hate me?”

Harry couldn’t help but chuckle at him.  Draco tried to give him a disgruntled look, but it just couldn’t quite fill his reddened face.

“Draco, do you think if I still hated you, we would be sitting at my kitchen table, talking like this?  Don’t be daft.  No, I don’t hate you.  I don’t think I have for a while now, if I’m being honest.  I also forgive you.  Completely.  Alright?”

Draco wiped his face, nodding at Harry said, “Good.  Now, let’s finish our dinner before it gets too cold.”

Draco snorted and said, “Seriously, Potter?  Are you a wizard, or what? It’s called a warming charm.”

Harry rolled his eyes, pushing his shoulder into Draco’s.  He reached across the table and pulled his plate towards him.  They finished their meal sitting side by side.


	7. Feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! FINALLY!
> 
> I swear, I wrote and re-wrote this chapter at LEAST 6 times! So many different things that I wanted this chapter to include, and I think I finally got it all in there! Hope you like it!
> 
> Thanks to all that have been reading since the beginning, and hello to all the new! 
> 
> ~B.

Harry woke with a start, instantly knowing something was different.  Blinking blearily up at the bright white ceiling of his sitting room, he moved his legs to stretch, and found that he couldn’t.  As his brain became clearer, he realized there was a heavy weight all along his torso and legs, impeding his movement.  Suddenly, the weight shifted.  Bending his head down a bit, Harry could see a tuft of bright blond hair.

 _What the…?  Draco?  What’s going on?_ Harry tried to remember… _We painted the bathroom, I made soup, we came up to watch telly…  we must have fallen asleep on the couch!_

He realized that Draco was laying half on top of him, with his head tucked neatly under Harry’s chin, and his arm lain across Harry’s chest, gripping the seam of his t-shirt.  Harry’s right arm was dangling off the couch, but his left was laying across Draco’s back.  Discovering his arm was losing feeling, he carefully brought it up, linking his hands together, wrapping Draco in a hug.  Harry quite liked the feeling of the taller man covering him and became as still as he could in the hopes of not waking him.

It wasn’t meant to be, though.  No sooner had Harry linked his hands together, then Draco gave a mild grunt and shifted his weight again.  Harry, knowing Draco was waking up, couldn’t restrain himself any longer and carefully leaned down and kissed the top of Draco’s head.  Draco stiffened, and slowly pulling back, turned his head to look at Harry.

“Hey,” Harry said with a smile.

“Hello.”

“Have a good nap?”

With eyes still filled with sleep, Draco nodded.  “Yes, I did.  But, the waking up thing was much better,” he added with a sleepy wink.

“I couldn’t agree more,” Harry said, beginning to rub small circles along Draco’s back.  “I could get used to this.”

“Used to what?  Holding an attractive man in your arms as you take a nap?”

“No, holding _you_ in my arms as we take a nap.”

Draco pulled up his arm that had been holding Harry’s shirt and laid his chin upon it on Harry’s chest.  “Hmm…yes, I would agree to that.  Though, it could be made even better.”

“Oh?  How?”

Draco gave Harry a quick smirk before he moved up and captured Harry’s lips with his own.  Harry instantly reciprocated, pulling one hand up into Draco’s hair, moving the other down to cup his arse, causing their groins to smash together.  Draco moaned into Harry’s mouth.  Harry moved his hand up under Draco’s shirt, scratching lightly up and down the pale skin.  This caused Draco to moan even louder.

When Harry pulled back from Draco’s lips, Draco tried to follow him.  However, when Harry grabbed the hem of the sweater that Draco had on, the man understood what he was trying to do, and leaned up so that the clothing could be taken off.  Once Draco was relieved of the shirt, he grabbed Harry’s, and ripped it off, too, tossing it over the back of the couch. 

Instead of latching back on to Harry’s lips, he began kissing his chin, making his way down to his throat, collarbone, and then attached onto a darkened nipple.  Harry arched up when the tongue was flicked across his sensitive nub and grabbed onto Draco’s hips. 

“Oh, god! Draco! Yes!”  Draco loved how vocal Harry was, and decided to see how loud he could make the man scream.  He again pulled back, and started trying to undo Harry’s belt.  Realizing what was happening, Harry started tugging on Draco’s, as well.  After a few seconds, he pulled back, knocking Draco’s hands away, and each man were quick to open their own.  Draco stood up, quickly divesting himself of his clothes, pants and all. 

Harry, trying to pull his off, was suddenly distracted when he looked up to see Draco in all his naked glory.  He came back to himself when Draco finished pulling Harry’s clothes off his legs for him, then pounced back on top of Harry.

They both gasped and moaned loudly when their bare cocks rubbed together.

“Ahh!  Harry!  I need…”

Harry twisted and carefully pushed Draco off of the couch and onto the floor, so that he was now on top of Draco.  He left open mouthed kisses across Draco’s cheeks and chin, until he was able to close upon his lips again.  When Draco pushed his tongue into Harry’s mouth, Harry reached down in between their bodies and grabbed Draco’s hard, thick cock.

“Ooooohhhh!”  Draco wailed, causing Harry to lurch, which in turn caused him to rub his own cock against Draco’s.  Harry rubbed the head of Draco’s manhood, collecting the pre-come that had gathered, spreading it along the shaft.  Doing the same to his own, he grasped both of their cocks in his hand, stroking them together.  After several strokes, he pulled his hand from between them and started furiously frotting against Draco.  Arching into each other’s crotch, the two men were getting louder and louder.

Draco wrapped his legs around Harry’s torso, which gave Harry the space to reach around and sneak his hand between the man’s crack, rubbing his finger against the puckered hole.  This caused Draco to begin frotting in a frenzy.

“Oh, Harry! I’m…so…aaaahhh!!”

“Me, too! Almost…th—“

 

Harry woke with a start.

His breathing was stuttered, and his dick was harder than it had ever been.

 _Are you fucking kidding me?!_  He thought.  _It was just a dream!_ He was laying on his stomach, pressing his cock into the mattress.  There was no way he could get out of his bed with this bad of a boner, so he knew he was going to have to take care of it before he could get dressed. 

Grabbing for his wand, he made sure his curtains were completely closed, and then cast a couple of spells so no could know what he was up to.  Slowly turning over, he pulled down his pajama pants, noting the wet spot that adorned the front of them.  His fully erect penis sprang up, slapping against his stomach.  His arousal was heady.  Carefully, he gripped his cock tightly.  _Gods_ , it felt good. 

He thought back to his dream, of Draco’s grey eyes locked on his, his warm mouth kissing him. 

He pulled his foreskin back, touching the head.  His stuttered as he did that, and then continued to stroke himself.  It only took a few more times before he was shooting his load all over his hand and stomach, quietly moaning Draco’s name.  He continued to stroke himself through the pleasure.

Once his orgasm had completely subsided, and his breathing became regular once again, he cleaned up his mess, pulled up his pajamas, and released the spells around his bed.  Pulling the curtains back, he pulled on his glasses as he got out to grab some clothes and his shower things, coming face to face with the star of his wet dream.

Blushing a little, Harry smiled at him and said, “Morning.”

“Good morning.  Sleep well?”  Draco smiled at Harry as he finished with his tie.

“Yeah, not bad.  Haven’t had a nightmare in a few days, so I’ll take it.”  Harry quickly grabbed his things and went to shower.

He didn’t dawdle in the shower, but apparently took too long, because when he came out, he was the only one left.  Quickly getting dressed, he grabbed the books that he would need for his morning classes and went down to the Great Hall to get something to eat, all the while thinking of his dream.

This wasn’t the first time he had a dream starring Draco, but this one definitely went farther than any of the others had.  Since spending time with the man, Harry had realized just how attractive Draco was.  They had become good friends as of late, and Draco was helping him renovate his house; they made a really great team.  It was strange to think that just a few months ago, Harry had absolutely despised the man, and now was having wet dreams of him.  He didn’t know quite what to make of it.  There was a lot of history between the two of them, and not very much of it was good. 

Walking towards the doors to the Great Hall, Harry chastised himself.  He knew he had come to fancy Draco.  This he was certain of.  Lately, it almost seemed as if Draco may have been flirting with him.  Maybe?  He blushed at the thought, sighing as he stepped into the Great Hall.

Suddenly, he realized exactly just how late he was.  Most of the other students had already been in and gone, and the 8th years were standing and grabbing their bags.  He quickly strode to the front, grabbing a few bacon sandwiches, and then walked beside Ron as they headed toward Charms.

“You okay, mate?”  Ron looked sideways at him as they ascended the stairs.

“‘Course.  Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I don’t know.  You just look…”

“Harry, are you feeling okay?”  Hermione walked in between the two men, looking at Harry.

“Why does everyone seem to think that I’m sickly, today?”

“You just look sort of feverish, is all.  Did you have a bad dream?”

“I’m fine!  Promise.”  Harry didn’t feel like getting into it with his friends, so quickly moved forward, leaving them to look at each other, shrugging.

Walking into the Charms classroom, Harry chose a seat towards the back of the classroom.  Ron moved to sit next to Harry, but Hermione grabbed his hand and dragged him to sit at the front.  Harry smiled, quietly chuckling and shaking his head.

“What’s so funny?”  A breathy voice whispered in Harry’s ear, sending a shiver down his back.  Looking up, he saw Draco smile at him, motioning with his head toward the seat next to him.  “This taken?”

“Ron.  And no, no one is sitting there.”

“Great!” Draco sat down in the chair.  ”So, what did Weasley do?”  Draco asked, pulling his supplies out of his bag, spreading them before him.  Harry started to do the same, but suddenly became distracted by Draco’s hands.

The long, lean fingers.  The pale nails.  The boney wrist.  _I wonder what those would feel like wrapped around my cock._   Blood flowing south brought Harry back to the present.  He discretely pinched his arm, forcing himself to focus.  _What the hell is wrong with me?!  I’ve apparently lost the plot._

Seeing Draco give him a side look, he said “Huh? Oh, nothing. Hermione just has him whipped.”  He glanced and saw that Ron had his arm wrapped around her back, whispering something in her ear.  She laughed and lightly slapped his arm.  Suddenly, an intense longing surfaced in Harry’s chest.

“Poor sod.  Although, it must be nice to have found love like that, huh?”

Harry startled, looking over at Draco.  He was staring at his textbook, but there was a tinge of pink high on his cheek.

“Yeah, I’m happy for them, ecstatic even, but sometimes they just make me sick.”  Harry smiled at Draco, then finished pulling out his book.

Professor Flitwick stepped up onto his stack of books, and started talking about what they were going to be doing that day.  “We have been working on silent spells for a while, but today we are going to be talking about silent _and_ wandless spells.”

He discussed the techniques that could be used, referencing their books and other writings.  Harry tried to pay attention, but his eyes kept falling back to Draco’s hands. 

Now that Harry had been spending more time with him, he realized exactly how elegant he wrote.  He also realized that Draco was ambidextrious.  He never could tell when he would transfer his quill from right to left, but he often switched right in the middle of writing a sentence.  It was mesmorsing to Harry.

Flitwick’s wand waving around the room brought Harry back to the present.  “I am giving each of you a feather.  Please practice levitation, summoning, engorgement, and shrinking spells, silently and wandlessly.  You may begin.”

Harry put his wand down on the desk, and put the feather on top of his book.  Feeling a little foolish, he concentrated and flicked his hand as if he was holding his wand and mentally said _wingardium leviosa!_   The feather moved a little, but still lay on the book.  Thinking harder, he opened his hand and tried again.  Suddenly, not only was the feather floating, but so was the book underneath it.  Both objects were hanging in the air in front of Harry.

“Show off.”  Hearing Draco’s muttering beside him made Harry laugh and lose his hold on the objects; the book fell onto the table, with the feather floating down beside it.  Harry grabbed the book and put it on top of his bag, and then focused on the feather again.

After about half an hour, everyone had been able to do all four charms, multiple times.  Harry was starting to get bored.  He looked around the room at his classmates, seeing them continue to cast at their feathers.  Neville and Blaise were sitting next to each other, and instead of casting on their feathers, were whispering about something. 

His eyes moved to Seamus and Dean’s table.  Dean was reading his Charms book, but Seamus was twiddling his feather in his fingers.  Getting an idea, Harry smirked to himself and carefully put his hand out like his was going to do a spell on his own feather, but then twisted his palm and cast towards his friend’s.  Seamus was still holding his feather in his fingers when it suddenly became three sizes bigger.  He gasped loudly, quickly dropping the feather on the table.  Harry quickly looked back down at his own feather, just as Seamus turned his head, looking around at his classmates to see who was messing with him. 

Seamus turned back and picked up his feather again, making it shrink back to normal size, then enlarging it again.  Harry waited a beat, and then cast a shrinking spell so strong, the feather was about the size of a pea.  Seamus again looked around the room. 

Dean glanced over at his friend, laughing at the befuddled look on Seamus’s face.  Before Seamus could make it bigger, though, another spell was cast at the feather, which grew and grew until it was taking up nearly half the length of the table Seamus and Dean were sitting at.  Dean was lightly snorting, nudging Seamus, trying to keep his laughter in check.  Seamus was again looking at their classmates, trying to see who was doing it.

Harry began looking around, too, because he was not the one to do that spell.  He couldn’t figure out who had done it, until he glanced over to the man sitting next to him.

Draco was trying not to laugh, but once he caught Harry’s eyes, he couldn’t help the grin that graced his face.  Harry mouthed to his neighbor, “You?!”  Receiving a slight nod, Harry couldn’t help the giggle-snort that emitted from him.

Just then, Professor Flitwick told the class about their essay that was due next class, and dismissed them.  Harry and Draco quickly put their things in their bags, and then walked side-by-side out into the corridor, where they both began laughing again.

“Was that you?”  Dean caught up to them, laughing along. 

“The first couple were me, but that last one was Draco,” Harry said between laughter.

“That was brilliant!  The look on Seamus’s face was priceless!”  Dean kept laughing, clapping Harry and Draco on the shoulder, and then turned back to find Seamus.

Harry turned to say something to Draco, but stopped when he saw the tinge of pink on the blond’s cheeks and the dumbfounded look on his face.  “What’s wrong?”

Draco, seeming to be deep in thought, came to when Harry nudged him.  “Hmm?  Oh, nothing.  What do you have now?”

“Free period, but I figured I’d just go to the library and maybe kick this Charms essay out before lunch.”

“Oh.”

The two men were still walking down the corridor towards the stairs.  Harry didn’t know what came over him, but he suddenly turned his head and said, “Want to come with?”

“Oh. Sure. Wouldn’t hurt to get started on it.”

“Harry!” They turned at the sound of Harry’s name, and saw Hermione and Ron walking towards them.  “What are you doing during free?”

“Draco and I were just talking about going to the library to get started on this Charms essay.  What are you doing?”

“The same, actually,” Hermione said with a smile.  “Want to share a table?”

Glancing at Draco, Harry said, “Sure.  Let’s go before the good ones are taken.”

Walking into the library, they saw that their favorite table was empty, and headed toward it.  Harry sat down and pulled out some parchment, a quill, and ink.  Draco plopped into the chair next to him, and as he scooted the chair in, his knee brushed against Harry’s thigh.

Harry warmed at the contact, but chose to ignore it; it was just an accident.  He started working on the paper, but then realized that he needed more information.  He stood up and said he was going to go look for some books that would help with the paper.  As he turned down an aisle, he mentally berated himself for how his heart rate grew just at the sight of the pointy blond.

 _Get a grip, Potter.  You're friends, now, and nothing more._  

He suddenly was ready for the day to be over, so that he could drink himself into a stupor. 

Grabbing a few books of the shelf, Harry turned and made his way back to the table.  He just had to get through the rest of the day, and then he could get magnificently pissed.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

The 8th years were all sitting in the Great Hall, eating their dinner and talking about the upcoming Christmas holidays.   Harry sat there, staring off into space, thinking of, of course, Draco.

Completely in his own head, Harry didn’t hear the first time someone tried to get his attention.  He finally snapped out of it when he felt a light kick on his shin and a “Earth to Potter” coming from across the table.  Looking up into the intense grey eyes of Draco Malfoy, Harry instantly knew he was a goner.

“Hmm? Sorry.”

“You looked like you were far away.”

“Sorry.  What were you saying?”

“I was just wondering what you were going to be working on this weekend?  I know you said you finished the dining room last week, so I was wondering what was next?”

“Oh!  Yeah, I finished the dining room.  It’s pretty great, if I do say so, myself.  Figured I would start on the kitchen this weekend.  I think it will be the most difficult, but it has to be done.”

“Would you—.”  He was cut off by Hermione standing up and tapping Harry on the shoulder.

“We’re going up.  Are you coming with?”

Harry replied, “Yeah, just a second.”

He turned back to Draco and said, “Sorry.  What were you going to say?”

“Oh, nothing.  Don’t worry about it.  I’ll see you up in the common room.”

Harry had a feeling he had been missed something important, but just nodded at Draco and stood, following Hermione and several other 8th years out of the Hall.

He went up to his room, deciding to change his clothes.  It was still fairly early, so Harry pulled his book bag onto his bed and decided that in the quiet of his room, he should finish his Potions essay that was due the next day.

Ron and Neville had come in at some point to change, but Harry worked on his paper for about an hour before he decided to go get a drink and have some fun. 

He didn’t get too far into the room before Seamus came up and handed him a glass of Firewhiskey.  Harry gratefully took it, and took a deep gulp of it.  It burned all the way down, but once it settled, he reveled at the warmth in the pit of his stomach.  He noticed Neville, Ginny, Luna, and Millicent sitting on the floor in front of the fire, and decided to join them.

“What are you all talking about,” Harry asked, sitting down and leaning back into the front of the couch.

“We’re playing a game,” Ginny said.  “Want to play?”

“What kind of game?”

“Truth or Dare.”

“Oh, no. I'm going to need a whole lot more alcohol in me to play that game!”

Ginny gave Harry a look that reminded him of the twins, and he instantly knew he was in for it.  “That can be arranged.” She looked around the room until she saw who she was looking for, and then yelled, “Seamus! Bring us a bottle!”

“Oi! I only have so much! What makes you think I'll just give you an entire bottle?!” Seamus had begun walking their way whilst talking.

“We’re playing Truth or Dare, but we need to get Harry drunker before he’ll play!”

“Oh. Well, in that case…” Seamus poured more of the amber liquid into Harry’s glass, and then handed the rest of the bottle to Ginny.  “Mind if I play?”

“More the merrier,” Ginny exclaimed, moving so that the circle could be widened.

Seamus turned around and yelled to Dean, who was talking to Hannah and Justin, telling him to come play. Soon, all of their classmates were joining them around the fire.  Harry moved forward a bit, so people could walk behind him to sit on the couch and on the chairs beside them, and when he scooted back against the couch, his back came in contact with legs.

Turning around to apologize, he saw that it was Draco that he had leaned against.

“Oops, sorry. Didn't know you were behind me.”

“Watch it, Scarhead,” Draco said with a sarcastic smirk, and not an ounce of vitriol. He grinned at Harry, which made Harry’s heart skip a beat.  “Seriously, though, lean away. I don't mind,” he added with a wink.

_Okay, yeah, that was definitely Draco Malfoy flirting with me!_

Harry scooted over just a bit so that he was leaning against the arm of the couch, but his shoulder and Draco’s knee were touching.  If Harry was to tip his head to the side, it would be lying on Draco’s thigh.

Harry looked around the circle, eyes landing on Hermione’s.  She gave him a small smile.  Harry turned to listen to Ginny.

Ginny and Neville had their heads together, whispering, and after a few moments they parted, Neville addressing the group.

“Well, since everyone decided to play, we decided that we aren’t going to play Truth or Dare.” A loud groan emitted through the group, with Blaise beginning to stand.  Neville spoke loudly over the crowd, “I just thought it would be fun to actually get to know each other! We’ve been living together for over 3 months, and while I can't speak for everyone, I still don't know a lot about a lot of you.”

“Neville’s right,” Ron said.  “There’s things I've always wanted to ask some of you.”

“Like what, Ron?” Harry actually thought this was a brilliant idea.

“Well, like Malfoy.”

 Harry could feel the tension radiating off of Draco as he leaned forward and asked, “Yes?”

“In third year, did you _really_ get hurt by Buckbeak, or were you being a whinging git?”

A murmur went through their classmates, as they all suddenly understood the way this game was going to go.

Harry, really interested in the answer, turned slightly so he could see Draco’s face.

Draco took a breath and said, “I was a complete tit about it, I'll admit.” Harry heard a snort coming from one of the chairs, and saw Pansy roll her eyes at Draco.  That made him chuckle.  Draco flipped her two fingers, and continued as if he hadn't been interrupted, “But to answer your question, yes, I actually did get hurt.  I have a scar on my shoulder, actually.  When it gets really cold, it, along with my other one, ache something awful.”

 _Other one?_ Harry looked up at Draco, giving him a quizzical look, only to receive a pursed look in return.  It took Harry a few seconds, but then it hit him full force.  _Oh, gods._ He closed his eyes, turning back around.  _I did that to him.  And I've never apologized, either.  Bollocks._

Harry could feel his eyes start to prick behind his lids.  He blearily opened his eyes, turning back to look at the blond, mouthing an _I'm sorry_ up at him.  Draco looked back at him, and gave him small smile.  Harry decided then that he was going to apologize veraciously the next time they were alone.

Turning back around, Harry took another drink of his Firewhiskey.

“Since you answered, you now get to ask someone, Draco.”

“Oh, well in that case, speaking of scars: Harry?”

A sense of dread filled Harry.  Which scar was he going to ask about? Everyone knew about the lightning bolt.  But he had gained several more during the war, so the possibilities were numerous.  He turned around and looked back up at Draco.  “Yes?”

“Let me see your right hand.”

 _Oh, no._   Gingerly, he lifted his hand up and held it out to the blond.  Draco clasped it in his own, gently rubbing the ‘ _I must not tell lies’_ with his thumb. 

“When, where and why did you get this? And what does it mean?”

Harry could see out of the corner of his eye that several of his classmates had wondered the same thing.  He took a quick glance over at Ron and Hermione, both of whom were giving him determined looks.

Taking a breath, he looked up at Draco and said with a smirk, “That is definitely more than one question. But, well, er, it was Umbridge.”

Draco gripped Harry’s hand at that, giving him a piercing look.  “What,” he hissed.

Harry moved up onto his knees so it would be easier to talk and continue to let Draco hold his hand.  “It was because of our first day of class, fifth year, actually. She didn't like that I said that Voldemort was back.”  Harry was pleased that he only heard a couple of gasps from his classmates when he said the name.  “She said that was false information, to which I basically exploded with rage, and called her on it.” 

He heard Dean say, “It was brilliant!”

“She gave me a week of detention, in which I were to write ‘ _I must not tell lies_ ’ ‘As many times as it takes to sink in.’ The thing was, it was with a… a blood quill.” Harry took another swig from his glass, before continuing.

“Whenever I wrote the lines on the parchment, it would cut into my hand, and the ink would be my blood.” He practically whispered the last bit, looking down at the ground.  There were gasps from around the circle.

“That is sick.” Harry looked back up into swirling grey eyes.

“Why didn't you tell Dumbledore? Or McGonagall,” Millicent asked.

“He didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing that she’d got to him.  Isn't that what you said, Harry?” Ron looked over at his best mate with a glare.  “Trust me, he’s bloody stubborn, and never one to want help.” He rolled his eyes.

Harry looked over at Ron, cheekily saying, “Sorry mate.  You know you love me for it.”

Harry could have sworn he heard a muffled “Merlin knows why” coming from across the circle.

Smiling, Harry turned back.  “So, yeah, that's that.”  Draco squeezed his hand tight, before letting him go.  Harry turned and sat back down. 

Harry took another gulp of the amber liquid, and realized he was definitely starting to feel the effects.  His limbs were looser, and he felt as if he was beginning to float.

He knew it was his turn to ask, so he glanced around the room, and, leaning over Ginny, locked eyes with Neville.  _This is going to be fun._   Grinning, he said, “So, Neville, when did you fall in love with my ex-girlfriend?”

That made everyone start laughing, lifting the atmosphere.  Ginny jabbed Harry in the stomach with her elbow, which made him laugh louder, and Neville’s face became as red as a tomato.

Leaning back against the couch, again, Harry was waiting for the sputtering answer from Neville, when he suddenly felt a brush against his hair.  For a second, he thought maybe it had caught on a fiber, but then he felt it again.  _Is that…?_   He waited a moment, and when he felt it again, he knew: Draco was lightly scratching his head.  When the fingers scratched against his scalp, a warmth exploded across his skin.  He sighed, and leaned back into the exploring fingers. 

Draco was still wearing his robe, so Harry assumed his fingers were hidden from view of anyone who was looking their way.  Feeling his Gryffindor courage rise up in him, Harry carefully slipped his hand under Draco’s robe.  Quickly glancing around to make sure everyone’s eyes were still on Neville, Harry slipped his fingers under the hem of the black pants he knew Draco was wearing, and wrapped his fingers around the blond’s sock covered ankle, rubbing his thumb against the bone.

As he sat there listening to Neville talk about Ginny, Harry something.  Maybe, just maybe, Draco fancied him, too.  He supposed only time would tell.

~*~*~*~*~

 

“Ah, the last weekend!”

The 8th years were packing their bags up and leaving the Potions classroom after their last double session before reviewing for exams began the next week.

Hermione and, surprising all but the former Slytherin's, Pansy had already laid out their reviewing schedules for the next two weeks.  Group study sessions for all classes were being planned, and everyone was staying at Hogwarts the next weekend to study.

“I can't believe it is almost Christmas,” Harry said.  “I've still got so much to do on the house before then.  This weekend is going to break me.”

“Nonsense, Harry.  It will be fabulous no matter what it looks like. And besides, isn't Draco helping?” Hermione gave him a pointed look.

Before Harry could respond, Draco walked up to the group and said, “Did I just hear my name?”

“Yes. Harry is worried about the house not getting finished before Christmas, and I asked if you were helping him this weekend.”

“We haven't really talked about it, but I would be willing to if you’d want me to.” Draco looked expectantly at Harry.

 _Oh, I want you, alright._ “Yeah, that would be great.  Two wands work much faster than just one.”

“Well, that settles that,” Hermione said with a nod.  The foursome started walking towards their common room together.  “So, Harry, when do Ron and I get to see all your hard work?”

Draco looked confused for a moment before he said, “You mean you haven't seen the house since he has been working on it?”

“Nope.  He keeps saying that he wants it to be perfect before we see it,” Ron said.  “But I want to see something messy and torn to bits.  I've never seen a full scale renovation project, and I think it would be fun.”

“Fine, fine.  Come over tomorrow for dinner.  Depending on how much we can get done, maybe I'll even cook.”

“Wonderful! It's a date!” Hermione beamed at them all.

Walking into the common room, they all veered off into their rooms to pack for the weekend.  Harry was pulling some things out of his wardrobe when he heard a tapping noise.  Looking up, he saw his owl sitting on the sill of the window.

“Orion?”

He started walking over towards the window, when Draco said, “Oh! I had hoped you wouldn't mind that I borrowed him.  Mother had to borrow mine, and I needed to ask her something, so I used Orion.  I'm sorry.”

 _Apologizing for using my owl?  Who are you?_  Harry could feel the warmth resonate in him as he thought about it.  This man continued to surprise him on a daily basis, as of late.

“No, of course not.  I don't mind at all!  I'm glad, actually.  I haven't needed to send anything lately, and I hate that he has to be cooped up.  I should be thanking you, really.  Use him whenever you need.”

Harry opened the window, letting the bird inside.  They all received a blast of freezing cold air, and Harry noticed that it looked like it would start snowing again at any moment.

Instead of flying over to Draco, though, Orion fluttered his wings as he landed on Harry’s desk, lifting his foot.  Harry took the letter, pulling some owl treats out of his desk.

Looking down at the letter, he saw his name in an elegant scrawl.  Turning it over and seeing the Malfoy seal, Harry grew widely confused.

“Why is your mother writing to me?”

“We’ll never find out if you don't open it,” Draco drawled.

Rolling his eyes, Harry carefully opened the missive. Reading the letter, Harry felt Draco move up behind him.

“What does she want?”

“Oh! She is just requesting a time to come get some more furniture.  Apparently, you are going to be seeing several new pieces in your rooms,” Harry said with a smirk.

“Hmmm… That's what she thinks.”

Smiling, Harry turned around to see a smirk on Ron’s face.  Sending a glare his way, Harry let Orion out the window, and finished grabbing his things for the weekend.

“Ready?” Ron was standing by the door, waiting on the other men in the room.

“Yeah, let's go.”

Walking back out into the Common room, Harry saw that Hermione was already out there, talking with Pansy.  The witch said something, which made Hermione and her cackle with laughter.  Noticing the boys had come in, they hastily finished their conversation and walked over to join them.

“What’s so funny,” Draco asked his friend.

Pansy gave Hermione a conspiratorial smirk, and patted Draco on the cheek.  “Nothing for you to worry your pretty, little head about, Darling.  Have a good weekend, you lot.” Smiling once again at Hermione, Pansy turned and walked over to their room.

 Draco shook his head as he watched the witch walk away, and then followed the trio out of the room and back out into the corridor. 

They encountered few people as they made their way towards the large oak front doors.  Stepping outside, they each pulled their winter cloaks, scarves, and gloves tighter around themselves.  The wind had picked up, and snow flurries were beginning to fall.

They began their trek down the slightly cleared path.  Up ahead, they saw Hagrid trying to clear more snow.

As they came closer, Hagrid realized he had company.

“‘Ello you lot. I havn’ seen yeh’s all in a while. And yeh, Draco. Missed yeh for tea, this week.”

“Sorry, Hagrid.  I was in the library every night trying to get all of my work finished before reviews for exams.  I promise I'll come by Tuesday, at our regular time.” Draco smiled up at the half-giant.

“Grea’! I'll make sure to have it ready fer yeh!”

The trio gave each other wide-eyed looks.  Ron shrugged his shoulders.

They stood there talking a bit more with Hagrid, but the snow was beginning to pick up more, so they said their goodbyes, and continued walking down the lane.

Harry was so preoccupied with his thoughts of Draco and Hagrid, that he almost walked past the monument. He would have, but Draco, who was walking a step behind him, pulled his sleeve to get him to stop.

“Huh?”  Harry stopped and turned to look at him. 

“I just figured you would want to stop,” he said, motioning towards the monument.

Coming back to himself, Harry nodded and made his way around to the back side.  Finding the names he was looking for, he stood for a couple of moments, and then made his way back towards Draco.  Turning, he noticed that Ron and Hermione were already at the gate, but had stopped to wait on them.  Quickly, they made their way to the gate.

Once through, they walked to the apparition point.

“So, we’ll see you two for dinner tomorrow?”  Hermione beamed at them.

“Oh, I didn't think you meant me, as well,” Draco said, shocked look on his face.

“Of course! You've had just as much to do with the renovations as Harry has, from what I've heard,” she said with a smile.  “So, tomorrow at 7?  Great!  See you then!”  And with that, Ron grabbed her hand and twisted away.

“So—.”

“Wait.  I have to ask.  You have tea with Hagrid every week?”

Draco’s blush covered not just his cheek, but it seemed to flow down under the collar of his shirt.

Harry found himself mesmerised.

“I—um, yes.  After I apologized to him, we had a nice long conversation.  I found that I could tell him things I'd never told anyone before.  I had time the following week, so I went back down to visit.  It soon became a weekly thing.  This week has only been the second time I've missed, and I—”

He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence, though, because his lips were suddenly being smashed against Harry’s.  It took a split second for Draco to realize what was happening, but once he did, Harry felt a jolt of pleasure as the kiss was reciprocated.  Harry’s gloved hands made their way up to cup Draco’s head, whilst Draco’s wrapped themselves around Harry’s waist.  As they continued to kiss, a warmth exploded in both of them, weaving its way up their bodies, and then exploding out of their lips.  They both jumped back as if they had been burned.

“What was that?!”  Harry gingerly touched his lips.

“I don’t know.  It almost felt like… No, never mind.  Let’s go.”

Harry gave him a look, but went ahead and grabbed Draco’s hand, twisting away in apparition.  They landed in the exact same alleyway that they always did, but this time, it felt different.

Still holding Draco’s hand, Harry pulled the blond back from where he had begun to walk towards the house.

“No, wait.  What were you going to say?”

Draco sighed, but said, “I don’t know.  It just kind of felt like the burning sensation that I felt when you gave me my wand back.”

“I was thinking the same thing, actually.”

“What do you think that means?”

“I… I don’t know.  Come on, let’s get out of the cold.”

They started towards the house.  About half-way up the block, Harry realized that he was still holding Draco’s hand.  His insides lurched and his cheeks flushed a bit.  He went to pull his hand free, but found that Draco refused to let go of it.  This made him blush even more, but a huge grin graced his face as he looked up into the grey eyes of the blond, who also sported a massive grin.

Harry wished to kiss those soft lips again, but knew it would not be a good thing out on the street; who knew who might be around the corner.

Climbing the steps up to the front door, Harry finally released Draco’s hand so that he could take off his glove to open the door.

Once the door was closed behind them, Harry turned to call for Kreacher, but his mouth was suddenly accosted by Draco’s.  Because his mouth had been opened to speak, Draco’s tongue was able to have free rein of the inside of Harry’s mouth.  Harry felt, rather than heard, the soft moan that emitted from Draco as he responded to the assault.  There was no extreme heat this time, just a fulfilling warmth in the belly. 

The stood like this, eyes closed, wrapped around each other, for several moments before Draco pulled back.

Harry opened his eyes to find a flushed Draco, bruised lips and all, standing before him, breathing just as hard as Harry was.

“Is this real life?” Harry asked.

Smirking, Draco responded, with a quick peck on the lips, “Afraid so.  Is that a bad thing?”

“Huh.  I don’t know.”

“Well, maybe we need to try it again, to see?”

“You know, I think you’re right.”  With that, he pulled Draco back in.

A few minutes later, Harry and Draco heard noise.  Slowly breaking apart, they saw Kreacher standing behind them.

Bowing, he said, “Master Harry, Master Draco.  Would sirs like tea?”

Blushing at the fact that they had been caught by his house-elf, Harry sighed and said, “Actually, I think a Butterbeer sounds good?”  He looked at Draco, who just nodded.

Bowing again, Kreacher popped out of the foyer.

“Bloody hell,” Harry said with a snort.

“Indeed.  It’s okay, though.  We’ll have plenty of time to continue later.”  He smirked over at Harry.

“Wait, really?”

“Don’t for one second think that now that I have finally gotten you to make a move, I’m going to let this go so easily.  Please, Potter,” he drawled with a smile, “You should know me better than that, by now.”

Harry looked befuddled, but decided to mull over those words for a bit.

“So, come one.  Tell me what you are thinking for the kitchen.”

Harry followed Draco down the stairs, where they began discussing ideas.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Harry was awoken the next morning by an owl tapping on his bedroom window.  Rolling over, he saw that there was a beautiful eagle owl sitting on his window sill, staring unblinkingly at him.  The sun was barely up, so he blearily uncovered himself, and, shivering slightly, hurried over to let the animal inside.

The creature hopped onto the inside sill and pushed his foot out at Harry.  He had barely gotten the letter off, before it was once again flying off into the distance.

Harry snapped the window shut, and hopped back over to his bed, glad that he hadn’t been gone from it long enough for it to get cold. 

The letter was from Draco, he discovered, saying that he would be round at 10, but had to go do some things for his mother later that afternoon. 

Harry cast a quick look over at the clock on his bedside table and found that it was only 7:30.  Harry groaned and turned back over, curling into his pillow, deciding he deserved a couple more hours sleep.

Harry and Draco had worked on the kitchen until nearly midnight before they decided to call it quits.  The memory of their good-night kiss lulled Harry back to sleep.

Harry was awoken again a couple of hours later by Kreacher apparating into his room to tell him Draco had arrived.  Looking over at the clock again, he saw that Draco was early.

Thanking Kreacher, who popped back out of the room, Harry began to pull the blanket back to get out when his bedroom door was opened.  Looking up, he saw Draco standing in the doorway.

“My, your bed looks comfortable,” Draco smirked.

Harry felt a rush of something he couldn’t quite place as he said, “It truly is.  You definitely know how to choose a mattress.  You could always come and join me.  Find out for yourself just how comfortable?”  He looked over at Draco, giving him a smug look.

“Don’t tempt me, Potter.”

“I wouldn't dream of it.”

Draco smirked at him as Harry stood up, stretching his arms up above his head.  He noticed Draco glance down and knew that his shirt had rode up just a bit above the waist of his pajamas.

Harry went into the en-suite and brushed his teeth.  Swiping a brush through his locks, he quickly gave up and went back out to stand in front of Draco.

“Well?”

“Well what?”

“Do I get a good morning kiss?”

Harry leaned over to his boyfriend, (Boyfriend? Is that what they were? They'd have to talk about that at some point) and grinning, chastely kissed him.

Leaning back, he saw the confused look on Draco’s face as the blond said, “That's it? That's all I get?”

“Yep, that's it.  Because just the fact that I'm allowed to do this—” Harry leaned back in and again, gave a quick, chaste kiss.  “Or this—” Harry open-mouth kissed Draco’s lips.  “Or this—” And Harry’s tongue pushed past Draco’s lips, taking a quick inventory of the inside of the blond’s mouth, before releasing him again, saying, “is more than I can handle right now, with you standing there, looking like you do.”  Trying and failing to resist, Harry leaned in one more time and gave another quick peck, before turning and entering his closet.

Draco stood there stunned for a few moments, before saying loud enough that Harry could hear him through the closed closet door, “Didn't know you had it in you.”

Harry finished pulling on his clean shirt and trousers, walked back out and asked, “In me to do what?”

“To be such a bloody tease.”

Harry laughed, and with a wide grin, said, “It’s a lesser-known Gryffindor trait.  But you'll find that I'm full of all sorts of secrets and surprises, if you stick around long enough.”

Draco smirked at him as he left the room to head downstairs.  Harry could have sworn, though, that he faintly heard a “I guess we’ll find out.”

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

“So, what exactly is the plan for this dinner, tonight?”

Harry, who was standing on a conjured ladder, fixing patches on the ceiling, looked behind him at Draco.  “Huh?”

“When Granger and Weasel come over.”

“Why do you still call each other Weasel and Ferret?”

“Because I cannot ever dream of calling him _Ron_.  It is just… _wrong_.  And besides, there are so many Weasley’s, it would get confusing.”

Harry rolled his eyes.  “Whatever you say.  But, what plan?  They are going to come over, we will give them a tour of the house and show them our magnificent work, and then we will eat.  I am afraid that I don’t think this will be done in time, though, so we will have to go get takeaway or something.”

“I still can’t believe that you know how to cook.”

“Well, believe it. As a kid, I… well, I did most of the cooking.”  He looked down at the floor, thinking back on his childhood and his relatives.  He gave a small shudder.

“And, so, I picked up a few things.  This summer, since I was alone for a while, I had time to try some new recipes.  I’m decent.”

“Wait, what?  What do you mean you did most of the cooking?”

“I grew up with Muggles.  No such thing as a House Elf.”

“That’s not what I meant.  What are you trying to tell me?”

Harry looked up the angry and confused look on Draco’s face.  He sighed, shaking his head, saying, “You don’t want to know about my childhood, I promise.”

“I do, actually.  We’re friends, right?  Maybe more?  I’d like to know about your life before Hogwarts.”

Harry stepped off the ladder, and walked over to Draco.   “It’s the ‘maybe more’ that makes me not want to tell you.  Trust me when I say it’s better off not said right now.”

“Harry—”

“No, please, not now.”

“Very well. As it is, I have to go.”

“Okay.  Let me walk you out.”

They walked up the stairs to the front door.  Draco stopped, turned, and gave Harry a chaste kiss.  “I can't get over that I am allowed to do that,” he said with a smile.

Harry smiled back.  “Me, either.  I'll see you in a few hours.”

“I'll be here.” He pecked Harry on the cheek with a chuckle when Harry reached in front of him to open the door, before stepping out onto the front stoop.  “Bye.”

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

“Harry?”

Harry heard Hermione calling for him, so he ran up the stairs from the kitchen to yell back, “Down here!”

Hermione stepped out of the sitting room onto the landing and looked down at him.  “Oh, Harry!  This is amazing!”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say we had floo’d to the wrong house!” Ron beamed down at him.  “Wow, mate.  This is bloody brilliant!”

“You haven’t seen anything yet!”  Harry went up the stairs, and motioned for them to follow him.  “While we wait for Draco, I’ll show you my bedroom!”

“Where is Draco?  I thought he’d be here,” Hermione asked as they ascended the stairs to the top floor.

“He had to run some errands for his mother, but he should be here any minute.  Okay, so as you remember, this was Sirius’s old room…”

Harry walked them into the room, showing them all of the additions they had done to it with the extension charms, the bath, and closets. 

Harry was pleased with all of the “ooh’s” and “aah’s” that were emitted at the right times.

He was just about to tell them about some extra things that he had done, when a heat against his leg made him stop mid-word.  He let out a gasp, but then the feeling was gone as quickly as it appeared.  He didn’t know what to make of it.  He was about to respond to Hermione, who had asked him what was wrong, when the doorbell rang.

“Ah! That must be Draco!”  Harry bounded down the steps to go answer the door. 

He opened the door with a greeting on his lips, when he felt something fall onto his feet.  Glancing down, he was horrified to see Draco laying with his head on Harry’s feet and his legs sprawled on the stoop.

His mouth was full of blood, with both of his eyes black and blue with bruises.  His usually pristine blond hair was covered in dirt and blood.  His left arm was at a strange angle, and his right hand had scratches and bruising.  His clothing had rips in them.  He was moaning, so Harry knew he was breathing.

“HERMIONE!”  Harry screamed back up the stairs, causing the curtain on the portrait of Mrs Black to bang open, giving her time to throw out a few obscenities before Ron and Hermione were by his side.  Ron threw a spell at the portrait, shutting it up, and Hermione, finally seeing what Harry had yelled for, gasped loudly, covering her mouth with her hand.

“Oh my god, what happened?”

“Bloody hell,” Ron whispered, as he helped Harry carefully pull Draco into the house.

“What, what do I do?  I…I’ve got to—” Harry was shaking, looking down on Draco’s lifeless body.

Hermione looked up at Harry, and grabbed his shoulders, turning him to face her.

“Harry, you have to take him to Madam Pomfrey.  Can you apparate?”  Harry nodded. 

“Okay.”  She pulled out her wand, carefully cast lightening  and hovering charms on Draco.

He carefully pulled Draco’s body into his arms, and cradled him close.

He was walking out onto the stoop to apparate away when he remembered, and turning to Hermione said, “His mother.  Hermione, please.  Floo Narcissa and tell her what happened.  Could you apparate her?  Please?”

Hermione nodded, gently pushing Harry out the door.  “Of course.  We’ll meet you there in just a bit.  GO.”

Harry nodded, clutched onto Draco, and apparated away on the spot. 

Landing right outside the Hogwarts gates, Harry made a split second decision to send a Patronus to McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey.  Pulling the memory from the day before of their first kiss, the stag shot of his wand.  “Go tell McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey to meet me in the entry hall.”

The stag shot off, and Harry started off towards the castle.  Harry didn’t even realize until that moment that it was snowing.  He cast a warming charm over them as he walked up the path.  McGonagall met him at the bottom of the steps.

“What is going on, Potter?  What is—  Oh, my God!  What happened?”

“I don’t know, Professor!  He was supposed to come over for dinner, but when he arrived, he was like this.  Please.”

McGonagall turned and saw that Madam Pomfrey was standing in the doorway.

“Poppy!  We have a student that needs help!”

The two women cast spells at the man in Harry’s arms and they hurriedly raced up the stairs. 

They finally made it to the Hospital Wing, and Madam Pomfrey cast a spell that carefully placed Draco in a bed.  It had been less than three minutes since he had opened the door to find Draco on the ground, but to Harry, it felt like a lifetime. 

Harry was pushed aside as the mediwitch started working on Draco.  He moved back until his spine came against the wall, to which he slid down until he was sitting on the floor.  Knowing not what else to do, he placed his face into his hands, and cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duuuuun! 
> 
> What happened to Draco?!
> 
> Next chapter will be (kinda) from Draco's perspective, and we will find out what transpired during those few hours Draco was out.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	8. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Another chapter! FINALLY! Don't give up on me, people! I know, I'm terrible, but I promise I will not abandon this. It has been months since I've updated, but it's my Birthday week, so I figured I would share in the celebrating by posting a new chapter! 
> 
> Fair warning: this chapter contains slight sexy times. :D No likey? Then why are you reading a story that is rated Explicit?? ;D
> 
> This chapter was going to cover the entirety of the holidays, but with this already being nearly 11,000 words, I figured I would cut it into two, maybe three parts. It depends on how well I can fit everything in that I want to do.
> 
> Also, it's not a huge thing, but I went back and tweaked a few things in the previous chapters, a bit. I figured out one plot bunny that I want in here, so I had to rearrange a few things to be able to make it work and do it justice. It doesn't have anything to do with this chapter, but you might want to go back and reread the last scene of the chapter 7; right before Harry finds Draco. It will all make sense in the coming chapters. (I'm not going to change the tags just yet, but once I get the chapters written and posted, there will also be new tags attached to the story, as well.)
> 
> Anyway, as always, thanks for reading! And I hope beyond hope that it won't be 4 months before the next one is published! **Crosses fingers and toes**
> 
> ~B

Draco woke with a start, and instantly wished that he hadn't.  Every part of his body hurt.  His chest ached, he had a headache as big as the Black Lake, and he could feel the itchiness of something wrapped around his torso and left arm. 

It was then that he felt a weight on his right hand, and blearily looking over, saw Harry sitting in a chair beside the bed, holding Draco’s hand, while his head lay on top of his arm.

A warm, fluttering feeling entered Draco’s chest as he gazed at the gorgeous man sitting beside him. 

_How is it possible that this is real life?_

Taking a somewhat wheezing breath, Draco tried to speak.  His mouth and throat weren’t cooperating, though, so it took a few tries before he was able to emit a strangled, “Harry?”

Those mesmerizing emerald eyes were immediately opened, and a concerned look was what greeted him as Harry stood and looked down at him.

Harry moved a stray piece of blond hair behind Draco’s ear.  He cupped the side of his head, rubbing his thumb against Draco’s cheek, carefully avoiding the bruises that were prominent around both eyes and his nose.  Quietly, he said, “Hey.  I'm here.”

“What happened?” Draco garbled, trying to sit up in the bed so he could see Harry better, but only managing a wince as pain shot through him.

“We were hoping you could tell us.  No, don't try to move.  You broke several ribs.  Madam Pomfrey gave you Skele-Gro, but there’s still not a lot that can be done for ribs.”

“That explains this,” he said, glancing down at his partially naked chest, except for the white gauze that encircled his ribs, “but why is my arm bandaged?” He tried to weakly pick it up, but Harry was right there to make sure he didn't strain himself.

“Well, it was nearly shattered.  There were too many pieces to try and just fuse it back together, so they basically pulled a Lockhart on you.”

Receiving a confused look, Harry continued.  “Do you remember second year when that bludger broke my arm during the Slytherin/Gryffindor game?  Idiot Lockhart thought he was helping, but instead of fixing the break, he completely removed the bones…”  He shuddered, and looked back down at the blond.  “That's really why she gave you Skele-Gro.  You're to grow entirely new bones.  The wrap is to try and remind you not to move it.  It's just about time for another dose, so I'm going to go get Pomfrey.  I'll be right back.”

Harry did a quick glance around the room and then gently leaned in and gave Draco a soft kiss on the lips, before turning towards the back of the wing.

Draco stared up at the white ceiling, trying to remember what had caused him to be in the state that he found himself.

His head was pounding, though, so he closed his eyes instead. Before he could get too comfortable, though, Harry and Madam Pomfrey were back beside his bed.  He opened his eyes to look up at the mediwitch.

“Well, Mr Malfoy.  Glad to see you’re awake.  You gave us quite the scare, you know.  Here, drink this Skele-Gro.

Harry rushed around the cot to the other side, to help raise Draco’s bed so that he could drink the potion.  Just as he finished gulping it, Professor McGonagall walked through the doors, followed immediately by Narcissa.

“Oh, Draco!”  Harry stepped back and moved to the foot of the bed so that Narcissa could come stand near Draco’s head.  “Darling, what happened?”

“Yes, Mr Malfoy,” Professor McGonagall said, “Can you please tell us what happened?”

Draco looked at the four sets of eyes staring at him.  “I don’t know.  I can remember leaving the Leaky, and getting on the Knight Bus.  I gave Harry’s address, and then went to the second level.  I…”

He glanced up at into his mother’s blue eyes, and then taking a deep breath, said, “I was sitting on one of the beds, thinking about some things, and wasn't paying attention to my surroundings.  The next thing I know, there are four people surrounding me.  One of them spat in my face, called me a…”  He sighed, looking down at his lap.

“He called me a ‘dirty Death Eater’ and told me that I deserved to die.

“The next one pulled me off the bed, and kicked me in the stomach.  The pain was... I guess I blacked out, because I don’t remember anything else until I woke up just a few minutes ago.”  He grimaced as he turned back to Professor McGonagall.

“So you don’t know how you got to the stoop?  Or how you rang the doorbell?”  Harry moved forward and looked at him confusingly.

“What?  No, I was on the bus, and then I was here.  The last thing I can recall is the foot being kicked into my stomach.  Nothing else.”

“Very well.  I will contact the ministry and the Knight Bus to see if anyone else saw anything,” Professor McGonagall said.

“The ministry? Why?”  Draco looked up at the Headmistress.

“You were badly injured.  The Aurors need to be told what happened.  I’m afraid you may be questioned.  Both of you.”  She looked at them both.  They nodded their acknowledgement.

“I am glad you are okay, Mr Malfoy, and I am glad Mr Potter had the sense to bring you straight here.”  She nodded towards Harry.  “I will let you know if I find anything out.”  With that, she turned and strode toward the doors. 

“Are you in any pain, Mr Malfoy?”  Madam Pomfrey said as she cast a diagnostic charm over him.

“I’m fine,” he said, just as another shot of pain went through him.  He winced.

“Mmhmm, I’m sure.  Here, drink this.  You should get some rest, too.  As should you, Mr Potter.”  She gave Harry a look that would rival Molly Weasley.

“I will.  I promise.”

Madam Pomfrey turned and walked back towards her office, which left just Narcissa and Harry standing by the bed.  Harry conjured Narcissa a seat, as he walked back around to the other side of the bed and sat back into the chair he had previously deserted.

“What time is it?  What day?”

“It’s about 2:00am on Sunday.  You’ve only been out about a few hours.  Not too bad, considering,” Harry smiled gently.

“Thank you, Harry, for making sure Draco got medical attention.  I’m glad Draco has a friend like you.”  Narcissa smiled genuinely at Harry.  His cheeks tinged a bit at the compliment, and also at the thought that he and Draco were possibly a bit more than just friends, now. 

“I'm just glad he’s okay.”  He smiled at Narcissa, and then looked over at Draco.  “I'm going to go and let everyone know you're awake, so maybe they will go to sleep,” he said with a grin.  “I know Pansy has been frantic, so expect her to be coming in as soon as I let her know you're up.”  With a small nod, Harry stood up and began walking away, but only got as far as the foot of the bed before Draco spoke.

“Wait; Pansy came back?”

Harry turned back to look at him, smiling.  “ _Everyone_ came back.”  Without thinking, he reached out and grasped Draco’s ankle.  “While Hermione apparated your mother here, Ron fire-called Blaise, who, in turn, called Pansy.  Millie was with her, so they immediately came back.  Neville, Hannah, and Ernie were still here, but as soon as Hermione went and told them what had happened, Hannah sent owls to Justin, Susan, and Michael.  They were all back within thirty minutes.  I don't know who told Seamus and Dean, but they peeked in a while ago.  Everyone is holding vigil in the common room, last I heard.” 

Draco couldn't take his eyes off of the emerald orbs staring at him.  A warmth flashed through him at the thought that his classmates, majority of whom he had either been a complete git to, made their lives total hell, or didn’t even acknowledge their existence during their tenure at Hogwarts, came back early from their weekend for _him_.  “I don’t believe it,” he whispered, wide eyed.

Harry squeezed his ankle lightly and grinning, said, “It’s true.  I hate to break it to you, mate, but you’re well liked, nowadays.  You’re friends with _Hufflepuffs_.  I know it’s a lot to take in, but it’s true.” 

Cursing to himself, Draco could feel his pale cheeks suddenly became redder.  Clearing his throat, he managed to sarcastically say, “Oh, great.  There goes my reputation for being the vilest git at Hogwarts.  So many years of arse-dom, all for naught.” He dramatically sighed, before grinning up at Harry.

Harry’s smile grew even larger, if it were possible, and winked at Draco as he turned and walked out the door.

Draco watched Harry walk away.  Forgetting his mother was still sitting beside him, he started when she lightly coughed to get his attention.

Draco quickly turned his head towards her, willing his cheeks not to flush even more.

“I am glad you are okay, dear.”  She stood up and came to sit on the edge of his bed, brushing strands of hair off his face.

“So am I.  What was Harry talking about?  Herm—Granger apparated you here?”

“Yes.  I was sitting in my study, reading, when Jissy came in and said there was someone in the floo that was looking for me.  I went into the parlor, and there was Ms Granger.  She told me what she knew, and said that Harry had asked her to bring me here.  I quickly went and retrieved my cloak, and we disapparated.”

“Harry asked her to bring you?”  Draco was dumbfounded.  Harry knew enough about him to realized he would want his mother there? 

“Yes, he did.  He is a very considerate young man.”  She gave Draco a look, which he chose to ignore.

“So, what have you been doing since you got here?”

“I came in to sit with you, but after awhile, Professor McGonagall asked if I would like some tea.  Harry said he would stay until you woke, so I’ve been talking with her, waiting for word.  She will allow me to use her floo to go back to the Manor, when I leave.

“I also sent your father a letter, telling him what happened,” she added, quietly.

Draco frowned slightly.  “You did?  Why?  Do you really think he’ll care?

“Darling, he is still your father, whether or not you—”

She was suddenly interrupted when the door was practically slammed open and a blur of black hair was seen as Pansy ran towards Draco’s bed.

“Oh, darling!  Are you alright?”

Draco flinched as Pansy launched herself at him, gripping him tightly in a hug.  He whimpered in pain, causing her to jump back, but then she quickly launched into a lecture of how he needed to pay more attention to his environment and who he was near, and soon his conversation with his mother was completely forgotten.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Draco, having just been wished good-night by Madam Pomfrey, lay on his cot, looking at the white ceiling.  It had been a long day of doses of Skele-gro , trying to intermediately find sleep, and visits from Aurors, all of his fellow 8th years, Luna, and even Ginny Weasley. 

Well, not _all_ of his fellow 8 th years.  A one Harry Potter had not made an appearance since he had left early that morning.  He was severely miffed about Harry being a no-show.

“Some boyfriend, I’ve got,” he mumbled to himself, as he closed his eyes and carefully turned on his side to try and get some sleep.

Just then, a rustle of fabric caught his attention, and opening his eyes, he was surprised to see said boyfriend appear out of thin air.

“What about me?” Harry grinned down at Draco.

“What the—how in the—where did you come from?  And where in the hell have you been all day?!” Draco bitterly whispered as Harry leaned down and kissed him. 

As Harry pulled back up to answer him, Draco pulled him back down for another lingering kiss. 

When he finally released him, Harry said, “Well, hello to you, too.”  He chuckled as he sat down on the edge of the bed, saying, “I’m sorry I didn’t come back earlier.  I got a bit of sleep, but was woken by McGonagall to go and speak to Auror Pye, to give my statement.  Is that who you spoke to?”  Receiving a nod, Harry continued.  “I then decided to go back to Grimmauld and clean up a bit of the mess, and worked a couple more hours in the kitchen.  I came back, deciding to take a nap, but got sidetracked.  I’ve spent the past few hours up in Gryffindor tower, talking with an old friend, figuring out Christmas gifts for everyone.  I, er, really hope you’ll like yours.”  Harry looked down at the floor, and Draco could see the faint blush touching the tops of his cheeks.

Draco was suddenly filled with dread.  _Oh, Salazar. I haven’t even thought about Christmas. What does one get their new boyfriend, a man that could have anything he could ever dream of, and who also just happens to be the Savior of the Wizarding World?!_

“You got me a Christmas present?”  He hoped the tremor in his voice wasn’t too apparent.

“Of course I did.  A couple, as of yet, in fact.”  Harry could sense the panic rising in Draco, and so quickly said, “Don’t worry about it!  I’m not expecting anything.  I just like to show the people I care about just how much they mean to me.”

Draco smiled at him, but it turned into a wince as a sudden shot of pain through his body.

“You okay?”  Harry cupped his palm around Draco’s cheek.  Draco leaned into the touch.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”  He barely finished the sentence before he winced again.  Apparently his arm had chosen that precise moment to (painfully) grow another portion of bone.

“Liar.  Why would I think that you wouldn’t be so stubborn?  What can I do?”

“I’m a Malfoy; it’s what we do.”

“I’m sure, but I think Draco can accept a bit of help.”  He looked around and saw a potion bottle sitting on the table next to the cot.  “Is this a pain potion?  Here, drink it.”

“I’m fine.”

“Again with the stubbornness,” Harry mumbled to himself.  He sighed exasperatedly.  “Just drink it, yeah?”

“I’m fine.  Besides, it’ll make me drowsy, and I’m not—” He winced again as another shot of pain moved swiftly through him.

“It’s time for bed, anyways, prat.  Drink it.”

“Fine.  Kiss me first, though,” Draco said with smirk.

“Spoiled sod,” Harry half mumbled to himself as he leaned in and pressed his lips to Draco’s. 

Draco opened his mouth, coaxing in Harry’s tongue.  He could taste a hint of treacle in Harry’s mouth.  What started out as a languid kiss soon became frenzied as Draco grabbed onto Harry’s hair with his good arm and started nipping on his bottom lip. 

Harry wrapped his own hand into Draco’s hair, lightly pulling on it as he deepened the kiss.  A moan escaped Draco’s mouth, which seemed to awaken Harry out of the trance that was caused by Draco’s lips.

Harry pulled back, making Draco groan in frustration.

“If we don’t stop now, I won’t be able to stop later.”

“And that would be a bad thing, why?”  Draco tried to pull Harry back down.

“Hmm, let’s see…you’re in hospital because your ribs are broken, Madam Pomfrey is just around the corner, it’s already past curfew… Do I need to go on?

“Spoil everything, why don’t you Potter!”

Harry leant in to Draco’s ear, though, and whispered, “Besides, I’d much rather continue this in a nice comfortable bed, such as mine at Grimmauld.  Just think, in 12 days, we will have more than a fortnight to do whatever we please…”

Draco shivered and moaned in pleasure as Harry licked his ear lobe, before standing up and preparing to don his cloak.  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, kissing the side of Draco’s cheek.  Harry grabbed his cloak, and pulled it around himT my his chest as he gazed at the gorgeous man sitting beside him.  , making himself invisible.

One moment he was there, the next he wasn’t, which left Draco sputtering.  “Are you kidding me, Potter?!  A bloody invisibility cloak?  You are so going to…!”

Draco could hear Harry’s quiet cackling over his furious whispering as the hospital wing door opened and then swung shut.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

It was Wednesday afternoon and Harry was lounging on the couch, alone in the common room, Transfiguration book propped up on his slightly bent knees, trying to change the table into a teapot wandlessly.  A sudden, odd, prickly feeling formed at the back of his neck, and bending his head back, he saw Draco smiling down on him.

“So, you _are_ alive!  I was beginning to wonder…”  Harry grinned up at him.

“You know Pomfrey; that woman is a menace.  She wouldn’t let me leave until I could prove that I could twist and turn and practically do a bloody back flip.” 

Harry could see Draco take a quick glance around the room, before he bent down and gave Harry a chaste kiss on the lips.  Draco then moved around to sit next to Harry on the couch.  Harry went to move his feet, but Draco just grabbed them, sat down, and put them in his lap.

“She gave me a clean bill of health, though, so there’s that.”  He looked again around the common room.  “Where is everyone?  I figured they would all be here, studying.”

“They are all in the library, studying.  I needed to work on my transfiguration, though, so I was given a reprieve; I don’t think Madam Pince would be too pleased if I continuously transfigured her library tables into inanimate objects.  Hermione agreed, and so allowed me to stay here.”

“Well, lucky me.”  Draco started lightly massaging Harry’s socked feet.  “Don’t let me disturb your progress, though.  Let me see a teapot.”

Harry smirked and still looking at Draco, flicked his wrist.  He knew he had succeeded by the wide-eyed look Draco had on his face.  He turned his head and saw a small, ornate, green teapot, with a silver trim sitting on the carpet where the table had been moments before. 

Harry grinned as he heard a small huff of air come from Draco.  “Bloody show off.”

“I had some motivation to get it perfect, is all.”

“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

“We have about 15 minutes until everyone will be back to drop off their bags before supper.  Must make the most of it.”  With that, he pulled Draco on top of him, kissing his breath away.

“Mmmm, motivation indeed.”

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

“Blimey, ‘Mione, this isn't N.E.W.T.S.! It's just term exams! Can't I have just a few hours to not have to study?”  Ron sat on the floor, looking up at his girlfriend, who sat on the couch, book in her lap, pulling on her hair.

“Fine, I give up. Do what you want,” was her only response, still looking down at her book.

Ron jumped up and headed toward their dorm, but only got as far as a few steps before he turned back around, walking back towards the couch.  Bending over the back, he pecked a kiss on her cheek, whispering something in her ear.  Harry glanced up in time to see her cheeks turn pink, and then she swatted her hand at him, laughing.  Smiling, he gave her another kiss, then walked toward their room.

It was Saturday evening, and everyone was ready for exams to be over and the holidays to begin.  They had been studying every day the entire week. 

Harry, who was just finishing up his last Charms assignment, thought that once he was done, he would go down and send a letter to Molly. 

 _Maybe I can convince Draco to accompany me_.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind when he heard, “Oi! Ferret! Fancy a game?”  Ron was standing beside the window, holding up his chess board.  Draco looked up from where he was sitting next to Pansy, smile forming on his face.

“Absolutely, Weasel.  Give me just a moment to finish this, and then I’ll go get my pieces.”

He finished his essay with a flourish of his quill, and then, after packing his things back in his bag, strode across the room towards their dorm.  As he passed behind Harry, he lightly brushed his fingers across Harry’s shoulders.

Harry wrote the last few words on his assignment, and then said out-loud to no one in particular, “Finished!  I’m going to go put my things away.”

He thought he heard Hermione ‘hmm’ at him, but he wasn’t sure.  He walked quickly to their room, and caught Draco just as he was walking back out with his chess pieces.

“Eagerly willing to play chess with my best mate, eh?”

Draco walked with Harry over to his desk, where he sat his bag in the chair.

“He’s a formidable opponent, is all.”

“I see.”

“Yes.  And, well, the fact that I like the company of _his_ best mate, and will inevitably have to be in his company more oft because of it, may or may not have something to do with it, as well.”

“Ah! There it is!”  Harry grinned at him.  “I appreciate the effort, though, no matter the reason.”  He kissed him quickly before turning to grab his cloak and a piece of parchment, quill, and ink.

They walked out of the dorm, and over to the window sill where Ron had set up the board.  Draco sat across the board from Ron, right leg curled under him and left dangling over the edge: the mirror image of Ron.

Harry did not fail to notice Draco’s relaxed posture.

Ron noticed Harry’s cloak and asked where he was going.

“Orion hasn’t been out in a while, and I needed to send a letter to your mum about the final plans for Christmas, so I figured this was as perfect a time as any.”

“It seems like you write my mum more often than I do!  You’re going to make me look bad, mate.”

“I think you've managed that fairly well by yourself, Weasley,” Draco said with a sly grin.

Harry tensed as he readied himself for the fight, but was pleasantly surprised when all that Ron did was chortle, lightly kick Draco in the shin, and say, “Shut it, Malfoy!”

Harry let out the breath he had been holding, said his farewells, and turned to go.  Draco caught his eye and winked, before turning back to the board to set up his pieces.

Harry made his way down towards the owlery, getting to the first floor corridor, when he heard his name being called.  Turning around, he saw the Headmistress walking toward him.

“Good afternoon, Headmistress.”

“Potter.”  She nodded at him.  “What brings you down to this part of the castle?”

“I'm headed to the owlery to send a letter to Molly Weasley.  We are having Christmas at Grimmauld this year, and so I am making sure what she needs of me.”

McGonagall and Harry started walking side by side down the corridor.  “So, renovations are going well?”

“Very well, actually.  We’re in the middle of doing the kitchen, but that won't take very long to finish.  We haven't done much with the other bedrooms, but I'm hoping to get a few done over hols.” 

“I’m glad to hear it.  What about the…?”

Harry grinned as he nodded quickly.  “Brilliantly!  Thank you for telling me about it!”

“I’m pleased it worked.”

Harry was pleased that McGonagall was so interested in his renovating Grimmauld Place.

Before long, they had made their way to the door that led out to the owlery.  Professor McGongall turned to Harry and said, “I'm glad the renovations are going well.  I'll let you get on with your letter sending.”  She slightly bowed her head at him and turned to walk the other way.

Harry didn't know what came over him, but he suddenly heard himself calling her back.   “Professor, I’m sure you’ll have to be here for the dinner with the students that stay, but if not, would you like to join us for Christmas dinner?  It'll be the Weasley’s, Andromeda and Teddy, Hermione and her parents.  I'd love to show you how your transfiguration lessons have been put to use,” Harry smiled.

He could see her usually pinched face relax, eyes widening slightly.  Harry swore he saw a small smile on her face as she said, “Thank you for the invitation, Harry.”  Harry grinned at the use of his given name.  “I'd be honoured.”

“Great! Once I find out the details, I will let you know.”

McGonagall nodded her head and said her farewell’s again.

As Harry turned to go up to the owlery, he walked forward with a slight spring in his step.

 

                                                                                                             ~*~*~*~*~

 

Thursday morning found the students of Hogwarts looking weary.  Their last exams of the term were that day, and the upper years were definitely feeling the pressure.  Hermione’s hair was frizzier than Harry had seen it in a while, and even Ron was looking paler than normal.

Harry had to keep telling himself, though, that all he had to do was get through Charms, and it was Christmas hols.

They were all sitting at breakfast, going over last minute reviews, when Harry heard the unmistakable sound of the owls sweeping into the Great Hall.  Harry wasn’t expecting any mail, so was shocked when a tawny barn owl landed in front of him.  The owl automatically stuck its leg out, seeming bored with its mission.  Harry barely had released the letter from the creature, before it lifted itself back up into the air.

Harry had been so surprised by receiving a letter, he almost missed the fact that Draco, who was sitting across the table from him, received one, as well.  The envelope held the same seal as Harry’s.  When the other owl had disappeared, too, Draco looked up at Harry with a confused look.  Harry shrugged his shoulders and opened his letter.

Harry was shocked to see that his letter was from Elaine Boorman, the apparent new Head Witch of the Wizengamot, requesting his presence at a trial of Draco’s attackers, in the new year.

Seeing the look on Draco’s face, his letter seemed to be about the same thing.  They looked up at each other and silently passed each other’s letters across to the other.

Harry read through Draco’s letter quickly, and saw that it held a bit more information: The Aurors had arrested two people, and were looking for the others.  The attack was being classified as a hate crime, so the perpetrators were going to trial, with the possibility of being sent to Azkaban.  Draco was asked to testify in front of the Wizengamot.

Harry glanced up at the staff table, and saw Professor McGonagall looking at them.  She gave a slight nod of the head.

Something jabbed Harry in the side.  Harry realized Hermione was trying to get his attention.  She tried to take the letter out of his hand.  Harry looked over at Draco, questioningly, who just nodded, still wide-eyed.  Harry handed the letter over, and waited for the gasp that he was sure to come.  He wasn’t denied the satisfaction of knowing her so well.  Draco handed over Harry’s letter without a word, too, and she read over that one quickly, as well.

”Well, that’s good, right?  I mean, there is going to be a trial, at least.  They’re not going to get away with hurting you.”  She looked up at Draco. 

“Yeah, I suppose.” 

Harry could tell that Draco was nervous about something.  He pushed his foot under the table, touching Draco’s.  The blond looked up at him, a slight smile appearing on his face.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Harry had just finished his last exam, and was headed back towards the common room.  After studying practically non-stop all week, he thought a nap was in order. 

McGonagall had told them that they had to wait to leave until the following day when the rest of the students left, but that didn’t bother them; they were planning on having their last Thursday evening party of the term that night.

Harry walked through the common room, heading for their dorm.  He laid his school bag on his chair, pulled off his robe, and un-did his tie.

Crawling into his four-poster, he took of his glasses and laid his head on the pillow.  He was sound asleep within moments.

He was awoken sometime later by a warm mouth nuzzling his jaw.  He blearily opened his eyes and saw a tuft of blond.  Draco realized that he had woken Harry, and so looked up at him, smiling.  “Have a good nap?”

“Yes, I did.  But, the waking up thing was much better.”  He paused a moment as the words left his mouth, and then it suddenly hit him why they sounded so familiar.  _The dream._   He started laughing, which made Draco look at him like he was going mad.

“Am I missing something, Potter?”

“Sorry, sorry.  This just reminds me of something.”  He leaned up and kissed Draco again.

“Had many men wake you up from sleep with kisses?  Do I have reason to be jealous?”

“No, no, nothing like that.  I… uh, I had a…  Actually, you know what?  It’s not important.  How was Arithmancy?”

“Not too terrible.  I’m not sure how well I did on the third part, but Granger and I talked about it on the way back up here, and maybe I didn’t do as bad as I thought.  I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

Harry got another wash of warmth as he thought of Draco and Hermione, walking down the hall, talking about their tests.  It was incredible how much everything had changed in the past seven months, since the war ended.  _I’m dating_ Draco Malfoy _of all people!  Ron is playing chess with him, Hermione is discussing classes.  Neville and Pansy were having an in-depth conversation about Herbology the other day.  Anything is possible._

“Your thoughts are loud, you know that?”

Harry just smiled at him.  “How did you get in my bed without anyone seeing you, by the way?”

“I’m a Slytherin.  I have my ways.”

Harry just rolled his eyes.  “Sure.  Is it about supper time?  I’m famished.”

“Yeah, it is.  Let’s go, before Weasley steals all the potatoes like he did last week.”

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

The group was sitting around the common room, drinking and talking in small groups.  Harry could see Neville and Ginny cuddling on one of the couches, talking to Luna and Blaise, who were sitting on the floor, knees brushing.

Harry looked across the room to where Draco was again playing chess with Ron.  They both were looking intently at the board, and knew that they were giving each other a challenge. 

He took another sip of his firewhiskey, and continued to scan the room, taking in all of the friendships that had formed in the few months since the war. 

Suddenly, a brilliant idea occurred to him.

Moving to stand in front of the fire place, Harry talked loudly to the room.  “Oi!”  The conversation died down, until everyone was looking at him.  “So, I was just thinking—”

“Harry’s been thinking, everyone!  Take precautions, now!”  Seamus shouted from the other end of the room.

The group laughed as Harry flipped him the V’s, continuing speaking as if he hadn’t been interrupted.  “If everyone didn’t already have plans for New Year’s Eve, maybe we could have a party at mine?  I’m nearly done with the majority of renovations, and thought it could be fun,” he said with a shrug.

Wide eyes and big smiles were what looked back up at him.

“Brilliant!”

“Yeah!”

“Wicked!”

Harry smiled at everyone as they all agreed to the party.  “Great!”

“What do we need to bring, Harry?”  Hannah asked, shyly.

“Er, I hadn’t really gotten farther than getting the idea to having everyone over.  What do people usually bring?”  He looked over at Hermione for help.

They spent the next hour discussing what everyone was going to bring and do.  When Harry went to bed that night, not only was he excited for Christmas, but now he was excited for all of his friends to be together to ring in the new year.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

As they were finishing their breakfast the next morning, Harry went over to the Gryffindor table and chatted with someone. 

Draco couldn’t see who exactly Harry was speaking to, but didn’t think too much about it.  He finished eating, and stood to leave the Great Hall.  Harry caught up to him as he got to the top of the staircase.

Draco looked over at him, saying, “What was that all about?”

“Hmm?  Oh, someone is helping me with some Christmas gifts, and I needed to know when I could pick them up.”

They made their way into the room.  Harry picked up his bag that he had packed the night before, shrinking it and putting it in his pocket. 

Harry and Draco walked out of the dorm together, meeting up with Ron and Hermione in the common room.  Saying their goodbyes to the rest of their classmates, they began their trek to the snowy grounds.

Walking outside, they saw that the carriages were lined up awaiting the students, so they decided to take one to the train station, and then apparate from there, instead of walking through the snow.

As the carriage started moving, Hermione asked Harry and Draco, who were sitting next to each other, “Do you two have plans for supper this evening?”

Harry shrugged his shoulders, saying, “I figured I’d just get some take-away when I get to a good stopping point on the kitchen.  Why?”

“Well, I was just thinking that our tour of Grimmauld and dinner plans got a bit side-tracked, last time.  Maybe we could do it tonight?”  She looked over at Ron, who just shrugged and nodded, and then looked over at Harry and Draco.

“I don’t see why I couldn’t.  Draco?”

“I suppose.  Mother won’t mind.  I’ll let her know when I take my things to the Manor.”

“Wonderful!  Then it’s settled.  We’ll come over around 7?  Will that be fine?”

They all agreed, and once the carriage stopped, they clambered off.  Walking towards the end of the platform, they said their goodbye’s.  Hermione grasped Ron’s arm, and they disappeared with a pop.  Harry turned to Draco, who clasped his hand in Harry’s; Harry thought of the ‘three D’s’ and twisted away towards London.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

As soon as they had gotten into Grimmauld, Draco had floo’d to the Manor to drop off his things and visit with his mother, but promised to be back soon to lend a hand with the kitchen.

Harry had gone up to his room to put his things away, and then slowly made his way down stairs, stopping in front of one of the bedrooms on the second floor.  He opened the door, and looking around, got an idea.  He _accio’d_ his drawing pad, and started sketching out plans.

After a while, he looked over his drawing and grinned.  Now, to get all of the supplies, and figure out when to get it done.  He could feel the adrenaline pumping from the excitement of his next project as he went down to the kitchen.

Stepping into the room, Harry saw everything exactly how he had left it nearly two weeks before.  All of the cabinets had been taken down, and they had removed the counters and sinks.  The room looked like a shell of what it used to be.  Harry was eager about implementing the plans that he and Draco had come up with a few weeks before.

Pulling out his drawing pad, he looked again at his plans for the layout of the appliances.  He was excited that he had found a spell that he could use that would enable muggle appliances to work in the house.  When he had spoken with Professor McGonagall at the beginning of the term, she had told him about the possibility of using a combination of transfiguration spells and charms to create a likeness to electricity.  After some research, he was able to figure out the technicalities of it.  He had used it in all of the rooms that he had finished, and it was working brilliantly.

He hadn’t gotten a chance to show it to Ron and Hermione when they came for the tour before Draco’s attack, so he couldn’t wait to see Hermione’s face when he explained it that evening.

Looking around the room, again, he decided to start on the wallpaper that lined all of the walls.  He used a spell that he had found in one of the books that he had bought at the beginning of term which caused the glue to dissolve, letting the paper fall off in large chunks.  The paper was still in decent shape, so he figured he would put some of it back up in Kreacher’s new nest: he hadn’t forgotten the promise he had made on his birthday.

He had just about finished removing the paper from the largest wall, when he got that tell-tell prickle at the back of his neck.

“Hey.  That was fast,” he said out-loud.

It was quiet for a second, before Draco said, “How did you know it was me?”

Harry turned around to see Draco leaning up against the wall, just inside the room.

He wasn’t about to tell Draco that he could sense when he stepped into a room, because Harry was sure he would never live it down, so he just said, “Magic,” with a small shrug.

“Uh huh.  Wow, this looks a whole lot different than it did the last time I was in here.”

Harry turned around to look at Draco.  “Like I said, I came back to do some more that Sunday.  Didn’t get near as much done as I had hoped to, but it’ll definitely be done in the next few days.”  He turned back around and started removing more wall paper from around the door frame.

“Hmmm.”

After a few moments of Draco just standing there, starting at him, Harry huffed and said, “Well?  Are you going to help me, or are you just going to stand there?”

“Hmm, I think I’ll just stand here.  I like the view, after all.”

Rolling his eyes, Harry went to turn around to chastise him, but before he could, Draco had walked up behind him, wrapping his arms around Harry’s torso, resting his chin on Harry’s shoulder.

“I _would_ prefer to just watch you, but I suppose I could help.  What do you want me to do, oh slave driver?” 

Harry sighed and leaned back into Draco’s arms.  Draco tightened his grip around Harry to keep Harry’s weight up.  Draco rubbed his face against Harry’s hair, and then hesitantly dipped his head down to lightly kiss Harry’s neck, just  below his hairline.  He paused a moment, and then kissed Harry again, just under his earlobe.

“What do you want me to do, hmm?”

Harry just bent his head to the side, giving Draco an unspoken demand for more.

A gasp issued from Harry’s mouth as Draco began using his tongue to lick under his earlobe.  Draco continued to lick, and then began giving open-mouth kisses where he had been licking.  Harry suddenly turned in Draco’s arms, and attacked his mouth.  Their tongues danced against each other, each trying to gain control.

Harry pulled back a moment.  He had a rush of hesitation as he thought about the fact that he had yet to go farther than just kissing with a man.  Looking into Draco’s eyes, he saw that they were dilated with lust.  He had never before seen that look on Draco’s face, but thought he had never seen anything so beautiful.  To think that it was for _him_ , well, that was a turn-on all its own, and suddenly he didn’t care that he was inexperienced.  He felt his erection grow.

Harry moved in and kissed Draco again, as he wrapped his arms around to cup his hands over Draco’s arse, pulling their groins together.  This caused Draco to moan loudly, as he could feel Harry’s obvious arousal.

They broke apart, both trying to fill their lungs with oxygen.  “I thought I was promised a bed,” Draco gasped, before biting onto Harry’s bottom lip.

Pulling Draco towards him, again, Harry let out a moan as both of their engorged organs brushed against each other.  Harry didn’t even mind that there were layers of clothing separating them when he began pushing Draco to lean up against the wall that he had been previously working on.

As Draco’s back was pushed against the wall, he couldn’t stop himself from grinding his cock in to meet Harry’s.  He pushed his body up against his boyfriend’s.  Harry moved his hands to Draco’s hips.

“Nex—aaagghhh!  Next time.  Can’t.  Stop.”  Harry panted each word as he rubbed himself against the other man.

They both emitted a loud moan, and then proceeded to mash their mouths together, so that they were connected from mouth to bulge. 

Harry couldn’t keep his hands still, brushing up and down Draco’s torso as he rubbed his covered cock against Draco’s.  Draco grabbed Harry’s hands, pulling them to grip his arse.  Getting the idea, Harry wrapped his arms around Draco, hooking his fingers together at the cleft of Draco’s arse.

Once he knew Harry had him, Draco lifted himself, wrapping his legs around Harry’s back, forcing his pelvis into Harry’s.  They frotted against each other for several minutes, groaning around each other’s mouths, cursing, and grabbing anything and everything they could reach.

Harry pushed Draco’s back farther into the wall, as he rammed his manhood against Draco’s over and over.

“Shit! Oh, shit! Harry!”  Draco released Harry’s mouth, throwing his head back in ecstasy.  Harry attached his lips to the creamy skin of the pale neck laid out before him. 

Draco moaned when Harry bit his pulse point.  Harry then sucked on the spot that he bit, causing a large red welt to rise up.

“Dra-co-ooh!”  Draco leaned back against the wall, thrusting up against Harry, causing him to drive hard against Draco.  “I’m not going—oh, fuck!”

Harry began thrusting with abandon.  He could feel his release growing, and knew from the sounds coming from Draco, his was imminent, too.

Attaching his lips back on Draco’s, Harry continued to thrust up against him.  Draco’s hands were locked in Harry’s hair, pulling his mouth forcibly against Draco’s. 

Draco wrapped his legs tighter around Harry.  “Harry!  I’m going to—” With a couple more thrusts up from Harry, Draco howled as he came.  Harry continued bucking up against the man, and after just three more pushes, he wailed his release. 

He continued frotting against Draco as they slowly came down from their high.  He leaned in for a kiss. Harry stopped rubbing, but continued leaning against Draco, whose legs were beginning to loosen their tight grip from around him.

When’s Draco’s feet finally fell to the ground, they released their kiss.  Hands still in Harry’s hair, Draco bent and laid his forehead on Harry’s.

“Wow.”

“Indeed.”

“I was not expecting that, not that I’m complaining,” Harry said, placing one more chaste kiss on Draco’s lips.

Draco let his hands slide down Harry’s neck, back, and arse, before he dropped them to his side, letting Harry step back.

Taking one step back, Harry winced: his pants were sticky from his spunk.  Before he could even think about reaching for his wand (which had fallen on the ground when they had started kissing) to cast a cleaning charm, Draco waved his hand over both of them, casting a wandless, non-verbal spell.

It startled Harry to suddenly feel a tingling sensation in his pants.  “Show off,” he muttered with a smirk.

Draco laughed, pecking Harry on the lips once more before stepping away from the man.  “That is about the only spell I can cast non-verbally and wandless.  Slytherins learn that one quite early,” he said with a wink.

Harry laughed, bending down to pick up his wand.  “Well, even though that was a wonderful distraction, and the fact that now all I want to do is go take a nap, how about we get some work done before Ron and Hermione get here?”  He turned and lightly slapped Draco on the bum.

Draco moaned at the contact, but just said sarcastically, “And we’re back to the slave-driver.”  He grinned at Harry.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

“Harry?”

“We’re down here!”

Ron and Hermione walked out of the sitting room and made their way down to the kitchen, where Harry and Draco had finished taking off all of the wallpaper and had torn out the walls surrounding Kreacher’s nest.  They had cast an enlargening charm to create a larger space for the elf.

Harry and Draco had just cast a charm to place new boards up, when the couple walked through the door.

“Blimey, that’s a mess.”

“Deconstruction, while the most fun, is also the messiest part of the job.  It’ll look amazing in a few days, though!” Harry beamed at his best friends.

Hermione looked between the two men before her, and said, “I can’t wait to see it.  Well, everything, actually! How about that tour?  We really didn’t get to see much last time, before, you know…” she said with a pursed smile.

Harry said quickly, “Yeah! Let’s start back up in my room.  I forgot to show you some things last time.”  He and Draco put down the board that they were working with, and after each casting a cleaning charm on their clothes, the four of them made their way up the 4th floor.

Walking in first, Harry turned on the lights, glad that he had put all of his things away instead of just throwing them on the bed like he would normally do.

He explained again how they had taken out the carpet, and laid the wood floor.  He showed them the bathroom, again, because he was just so proud of it.  Then he turned to Hermione and said, “The thing I didn’t get to show you last time, though, is this.  You know how I met with Professor McGonagall at the beginning of term to ask for help and ideas on how to do a magical renovation?”

“Yes, she gave you some books, didn’t she?”

“Yeah, she did.  One of the things we talked about, though, was a spell that she had heard of, that uses transfiguration spells and charm work to create a likeness to electricity.”

He only had to wait a second before her eyes widened larger than he had yet to see them.  “And you figured it out?”  She breathed the question.

“See for yourself.  Hey, Ron, will you flip that switch beside the door, down.  Yeah, just there.”

Ron walked over and pushed the muggle switch, down.  It turned the lights out, leaving the group in darkness.

“Now, flip it back up.”

The lights came back on.  “Wicked!  It’s just like my deluminator!”

“Yeah, it is.”

Hermione looked around the room, at the ceiling fan and other lights.  “Harry, this is amazing.  But, you said it’s a likeness?  What do you mean by that?”

“Well, it’s like real electricity, but it works with magic.  So, I can plug in things, like muggle lamps.” He walked over to the bedside table and showed them the lamp turning on and off, manually.  “And I can get muggle appliances for the kitchen.  But, then I can also use magic on them.”  With that, he waved his wand and the lamp turned on.

“I’ve used it in all of the rooms that have been completed.  I’ve used muggle switches and sockets in every room, too.”

He glanced around at his friends, and saw that Draco was giving him a strange look.

“What?”

“I didn’t know you had done that, is all.  You never told me about it.  I never even gave it a second thought.  Impressive, Potter,” he said with a smirk.

“Thanks.”  He smiled at him.  “So, that’s the bedroom.”  He walked out onto the landing, and showed them the paint he had done on the walls and doors.  “Since I took the second room up here and made it into the en-suite, I had to take out the door and put up a wall, instead.  Can you figure out where it used to be?”  He smiled as his friends went and tried to remember where the door used to be.  If Harry was honest, he was quite enjoying seeing his friends impressed with what he had done.

“This is still how you get up to the attic.”  He tapped his wand on the wall, making the door that went up, appear.  “I put up all of the furniture that I didn’t want in it, and Narcissa has been taking pieces.  She is also going to help me get rid of the rest.”

Draco’s eyes widened at the mention of his mother.  “Oh! That reminds me. When I went to the Manor to drop my things, mother asked if tomorrow was still fine for her to come?  She thought that she would be able to arrive around 10:00 or so.”

“Of course.  She is more than welcome, whenever she wants to.”

Draco nodded, and then turned and made his way down to the level below.  Everyone followed, and soon they were discussing plans for those rooms.

“I haven’t gotten to these yet, but I think I am going to turn those two,” he pointed to the bedrooms that Molly & Arthur and Fred & George had used when they stayed there with the Order, “into a large guest suite.  It’ll be just a little smaller than mine, but I think there will be enough room for a small sitting area, too.  I figure you two will be the ones using it the most, so I will want your opinions on some things.”

He wasn’t prepared for the group hug that assaulted him.  Both Ron and Hermione had reached for him at the same time, enveloping him in their arms.  Harry looked behind Ron, seeing Draco looking at him.  Draco rolled his eyes, shook his head slightly, and then mouthed what looked to be the word ‘Gryffindors.’

Harry made a face at him, smiling.

Once they stepped back, Harry continued.  “Yeah, that was my plan, anyway.  I’m going to fix up the other bath, and then this room is Teddy’s.  Draco painted it awhile back, but then we moved on to other rooms, and it never got completely finished.  It does have a cot, though, in case Andy needs a break.”  He opened the door and showed them the pale green room, with plush carpet, and a white cot against the far wall.

“It’s lovely, Harry,” Hermione said.

“I want to show you all what I’ve envisioned down here.  I sketched out the plans earlier.”

Harry led them down to the second floor landing, opening up the door to the room that was where Ginny and Hermione had slept.  “I think I want to make this into an office of sorts.  Put shelves around the edges for books and the like, and then a large desk in the center.  This is what I drew up.”

He pulled his sketch book out of his pocket, and showed it to the three others.  Draco took a quick look at it, and then scanned the room. 

“I can see that.  What about a couple of nice chairs over in the corner, with maybe a small table?”  He grabbed the pad out of Harry’s hands, reaching around Harry’s back and taking out the muggle pencil that he knew was in Harry’s back pocket.  Harry had picked it up on their last trip to the lumber store, and Draco knew he carried it around with him whenever they were working on the house.

Draco then began drawing some more things on the sketch.  Harry wasn’t surprised when he suddenly stopped drawing, flipped to a new page in the book, and started drawing an entirely new design.  He was walking around the room, muttering to himself.

Ron walked over to Harry and said, “Blimey, mate.  It looks like he is changing your plans completely.”

“I know.  Isn’t it great?  He has an eye for the design of things.  Like I said before, he designed the en-suite in my room.  I had an idea, but then he came up, told me I was a blithering idiot, and re-did it all.  It’s brilliant.”  He didn’t speak aloud the words _he’s brilliant_ , but he definitely said it to himself as he saw his boyfriend drawing madly in the book.

Harry saw Ron and Hermione share a look, but was distracted from inquiring about it when Draco came over, showing Harry his ideas.  Draco discreetly put the pencil back in Harry’s back pocket, brushing his hand across Harry’s arse, before reaching back up and pointing at his design.

“Brilliant.  I like the idea of built-in shelving.  Do you really think we could make a floo in here?”

Harry and Draco had a quick conversation, forgetting for a moment that they were not alone.  Hermione’s light cough brought them back, and soon they were descending to the next landing.

Harry showed them the tapestry room, next.  “I’m going to keep it, I’ve decided.  I’m going to try and find someone that can restore it, and replace those that have been burnt off, as well as add Ted, Tonks, Remus, and Teddy to Andy’s line.”

They finished the tour in the formal dining room, where Harry explained that that was where they were going to have Christmas dinner, and he was thinking of getting a tree for in there, as well as the sitting room.

“Mate, I can honestly say that I never thought it could be done, but you have done an amazing job.”  Ron clapped him on the back.

“It really does look incredible, Harry.  Did you have very many more issues with doxies or boggarts or any of the things we came across whilst cleaning?”

“No, thankfully.  Although, there are still some things to go through, so it’s still a possibility,” he said with a slight shudder.

While he and Hermione had been talking, Draco and Ron had snuck out.  They didn’t even know they had gone until they walked back into the room.

“Where did you two go?”

“Ferret wanted to show me something.  You two were talking, so it gave us the opportunity.”

“Why must you still call him that?  We’re all friends now,” Hermione huffed at the two men.

“It’s an endearing term, now, isn’t it?”  Ron looked at Draco, bumping his shoulder.  Draco nodded back.  “Besides, it would be far too weird to call him _Draco_.”

“Exactly.  ‘Ron’ just doesn’t feel right on the tongue,” Draco said with a smirk.

“I give up,” Hermione said with a roll of her eyes, throwing her hands in the air.  “So, what is for supper?  I’m hungry.”

“Me, too!”

“Ron, mate, you’re always hungry,” Harry said, slapping Ron on the back.  “What do we want?”

“What about that Indian place down the street?”

Ron and Hermione looked over at Draco as if he was from another planet.

“What?”

“I just can’t believe you know what Indian food is,” Hermione said.

“Harry took me there awhile back.”

They all turned to look at Harry.

“I ate there a lot over the summer.  It’s great.”

Ron looked about to say something, but Hermione just said, “Well, then, let’s go there.”

The four of them pulled on their coats (Draco transfiguring his cloak into a muggle coat) and walked down to the restaurant.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

“That was delicious,” Hermione said as the four of them walked back to 12 Grimmauld Place.  “I’m glad you suggested it, Draco.”

“Yeah, mate, that was really good, even if it was muggle food.”

Harry rolled his eyes at Ron, subtly winking at his boyfriend. 

They turned up the walk towards the stoop.  Harry unlocked the door, and Ron, Hermione, and Harry stepped inside.  Harry noticed Draco wasn’t behind them and turned around the see Draco still standing on the sidewalk.  Harry went back and stood at Draco’s side.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“Huh?  Sorry.  I’m just trying to figure out how I managed to get from the top level of the Knight Bus to the stoop, and rang the doorbell, all whilst being unconscious.  It just doesn’t make sense.”

“I’ve been wondering the same thing.  Is there anything else you remember that might give us a clue?”

Draco was about to speak, but then noticed that Ron and Hermione were standing in the doorway, looking at them.  Draco looked up at Harry, discretely shook his head, and whispered, “Later.”

Harry understood, and they both turned to walk into the house.

“Everything okay?”  Hermione asked them as they walked into the house.

“Yeah, ‘course.”

Ron and Hermione shared a quick look, but just nodded and walked up to the sitting room, Harry and Draco following.

“Well, it’s getting late.  We’d better go,” Hermione said.  “Oh, wait, before I forget.  Harry, have you finished your Christmas shopping?”

“I have just a couple more things to pick up, but other than that, yeah.”

“Would you want to go to Diagon, together?  I still need to get something for Molly and Arthur.”

“Yeah, and actually, I was going to ask if you would want to go with me.  I have something I need to get in muggle London, and was hoping you’d be able to help me, mate,” Ron said.

“Why don’t we make a day of it, then?”

“Well, mine is for…” Ron threw his head towards Hermione, indicating that he was needing to go shopping for her.

“Ah.  Well, how about this?  Hermione, why don’t we go shopping Wednesday in Diagon in the morning, and then Ron can meet us, and I can go off with him?  Does that work for you both?”

“Perfect.  We’ll see you on Wednesday, then.  Well, goodnight.”  Hermione leaned over and pecked a kiss on Harry’s cheek, then walked over to where Draco was standing, and gave him a quick hug.  Ron shook hands with both men, and then tossing in floo powder, they were swept away in a flash of green flames.

They stood there looking at each other for a moment, and then Draco almost seemed to almost melt onto the couch.

“What’s wrong?” Harry looked down curiously at him.

With a great sigh, he said, “Gryffindors are exhausting.”

Harry couldn't help the laugh that emitted from his lungs.  “You hardly said anything the whole night! How could you be tired?”

Harry received the famous Malfoy smirk.  “You apparently think too highly of me if you don't understand how hard I work to not spout off something at Weasley.  He says something that leaves it wide open for an insult or a barb!  I’m trying, for you, you know, to not start a fight.  But, over seven years of the fighting mentality doesn't just go away over-night.”

Harry sat down on the couch beside him, kissing him on the cheek.  “I really do appreciate the effort.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes, before Draco moved so his head was laying in Harry’s lap.  Harry sat stunned for a moment, just looking at the blond head that was on his leg.

It absolutely amazed him how comfortable Draco was around him, and he with Draco, too.  Like Draco had just said, there was over seven years of the fighting mentality ingrained in their heads.  After all these years, the names Potter and Malfoy side-by-side created a sense of foreboding in the minds of the wizarding community.  Everyone knew about their rivalry.  How would the public take the news that they were now a couple?  Hell, what would they think about the fact that Harry was gay? 

He forced himself to back into the present, and to the man that was currently looking up into his face, and not worrying about the ‘what ifs’ of the past and future.  The war was over; he could finally live his life how _he_ wanted to live it, and with whomever he wanted, too.

“You really do think loudly, you know that?  What was just going through your head?”

Harry lifted his hand, sifting his fingers through Draco’s hair.  “Hmm? Oh, nothing. Just thinking.”

Draco closed his eyes as Harry kept raking through his hair.  “You can tell me, you know.”

“Or, you can tell me what you were thinking about outside.”

“I could, yes, but…” He seemed to hesitate a moment.

“But, what?”

“I’m too tired to go into it.  Later.”

“Hmmm, okay, fine.  But, if you’re so tired, maybe you should go home.”

“You trying to get rid of me, Potter?”  Draco opened one eye to look at Harry.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, but now that you mention it, I’m tired, as well.  Think I’m going to take a shower, and then go to bed.”

“I suppose I do need to at least have a nightcap with Mother.  I haven’t seen her but less than an hour since we’ve been back from Hogwarts.”  He lay there for a few more moments, and then, sighing, pushed himself up to stand in front of Harry.  He put his hands out, and helped Harry stand as well, pulling their bodies together into a loose hug.

“As it is, I will see you tomorrow when Mother comes over to get the furniture.”

“I’ll be here, whenever she wants to come over.  But, if she’s not going to come over until after 10, I might just have a   lie-in.”

“Well, then, I will say goodnight.” Draco leaned in and kissed Harry.  It was a simple, closed mouth kiss, but both men knew the intensity of such an unassuming thing.

Draco was the first to move back, turning to grab his coat.  Harry pulled the floo powder bowl down from the mantle, offering it to Draco.

“See you in the morning.”

“Night, Harry.”  Draco took a bit of the powder, stepped into the fireplace, and was swirled away in the midst of green flame.

Harry sighed, put the bowl back, turned out the lights, and went up the stairs towards his room.  Making his way into the en suite, Harry stripped his clothes off, tossing them into the corner.  He suddenly had the thought of creating a magical laundry chute, to which he could throw his laundry into it, and it would automatically send it down to the laundry room that he was going to put in just outside of the kitchen.  He made a mental note to talk to Draco about that.

With the thought of Draco, he thought back to their day together as he turned on the water.  Stepping into the shower, he moaned as the hot water cascaded down his back and at the thought that he and Draco had had…sex?  He didn’t see any skin, of course, but they both had come, so he figured it counted.

He had had sex.  With Draco Malfoy. 

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that it had been his first _real_ encounter with another man.  Sure, he had snogged some muggles during the summer, just to test the waters, but he certainly didn’t invite them back to his and complete the snogging sessions with an orgasm.  No, that had just been with Draco.

All of these thoughts about sex and orgasms made Harry’s cock stir.  Glancing down at his rod, he saw that he was nearly completely hard.  He gripped his member, hissing as the heat of his hand wrapped around it.  His mind instantly went back to the look that adorned Draco’s face as he was about to come.

Harry tugged as he remembered the moans and gasps of ecstasy.  His breath hitched as he touched the tip, wondering again what it would be like for Draco to touch it; lick it.

His imagination began to run wild with thoughts of the things he wanted to do with and to Draco. 

It didn’t take long before he felt the pressure forming in his bollocks and lower back, and with two more tugs, imagining Draco laying beneath him in bed, Harry came with Draco’s name on his lips.

He leaned up against the back wall of the shower, letting his breath and heart rate slow down.  After a few minutes, he gently cleaned himself off, and after shutting off the water, carefully stepped out of the shower. 

He grabbed a towel out of the linen closet in the corner, and toweling himself dry, walked out into his bedroom to go get pajamas out of his closet.

Not for the first time, he thought to himself, _Why didn’t I put the closet_ in  _the bathroom?  Would have made much more sense._

Pulling on clean pants and pajama bottoms on, he found a plain white shirt, and put that on.  He shivered before casting another warming charm on the room.  Now that he had figured out the electricity charm, he needed to figure out a way to install a muggle air conditioning/heater unit into the house. 

Crawling into bed, he put his wand on the table beside the bed, and waving his hand, turned off all the lights.  He curled up under the duvet, and with more thoughts of Draco floating through his head, he fell asleep.


	9. Teddy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wahoo! Only a month-ish in between chapters! I'm trying, people, I promise!
> 
> Fluff, sexy times, and angst await you in this chapter. I know, I'm cruel!
> 
> I thought I would get to Christmas in this chapter, but as I reached ~11.5k, I figured I'd better hold off.
> 
> It starts the morning after the end of Chapter 8. POV's change back and forth between H & D throughout the chapter.
> 
> I hope you like it, and don't want to throw sharp objects and rocks at me too much.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> ~B.

Draco woke with a start when the curtains in his room were flung open, emitting the bright light of the early morning sun.

“What in the bloody hell?”

“Master Draco.”  Jissy, his mother’s house elf, stood beside his bed, looking up at him.  Draco blearily leaned over the edge of the bed to be able to look at the tiny creature.

“What?  Why did you wake me so early?  What time is it, anyway?”

“It is 7:30, sir.  My mistress told Jissy to come wake up Master.  Mistress requires you to join her for breakfast this morning.”

Draco just groaned as he threw his head back onto his pillow.  He was on holiday!  Was he not allowed a lie-in?

“Tell my mother that I will be down shortly, Jissy.”

He turned to see the elf bow towards him and disappear with a pop.

Draco rubbed his eyes, laying there a moment, looking up at the carefully crafted ceiling of his room.  He knew his mother would soon come in herself if he didn’t get up, though, so he begrudgingly pushed the duvet off of him, and stood.

He walked into his en suite, deciding to take a shower.  He quickly cleaned himself, completely waking up underneath the spray of the water.  Stepping out of the tub, he wrapped himself in his favourite fluffy towel.

He looked at himself in the mirror as he brushed his teeth and cast a shaving charm on his face.  He studied the scars that covered his torso, old and new.  He traced the lines of the scar that crossed from his right shoulder down to just above his left hip.  The one _Potter_ had put there.  He had been very careful since going back to school to not let Harry see it.  He knew that Harry would be absolutely horrified if and when he saw it, and he hadn’t wanted to get into it in the middle of their dorm, just as their friendship had been forming.

Now that they were together, though, it seemed imminent that it would happen.  Draco was determined to do it on _his_ terms, so that he could reiterate over and over to Harry, and to himself, that he understood that it was _Potter_ who did it, not _Harry_.  There was a difference, and he knew it.

Shaking his head, he stepped back into his room, walking over to his closet.  He knew that not only were he and Harry going to work more in the kitchen, but he figured if they got far enough along, they would go shopping for appliances and accessories.  Taking all of this into consideration, Draco pulled out a pair of dark jeans and a form fitting long-sleeved, grey tee-shirt that he had purchased on one of his and Harry’s traverses into the muggle world. 

As he slipped on the jeans, he turned and looked at himself in the mirror.  _Damn_ , he thought.  _I look good as a muggle_.  The jeans hugged him in all the right places.  He grabbed for the shirt, putting it on, too.  He smiled to himself.  Harry wouldn’t know what hit him.  Grabbing his wand, a coat, and his money bag, Draco descended the stairs towards the dining room.

As he walked through the door, he was surprised to see that his mother wasn’t alone.  Across the table from her sat Professor McGonagall.  He stopped in his tracks as he took in the two women.

Narcissa gave Draco an odd look as she took in his attire.  “Draco, good morning, dear.  Professor McGonagall came by this morning with some news.  Please, come sit down.”

Draco carefully moved forward into the room.  He walked over to Narcissa, giving her a peck on the cheek.

“Good morning, mother; Professor.  To what do we owe this honour?”  He moved to his seat at the head of the table, sitting down.  While his father was away, he was the man of the house, and so sat accordingly.

Draco poured himself a cup of coffee, buttering some toast.  He turned his attention to the Headmistress.

“Mr Malfoy, I’m sorry to barge into your home so early on a Saturday, but I just received information from the ministry.  The Aurors originally wanted to be the ones to speak to you, but as you are still at Hogwarts, you are still under by jurisdiction, and I felt I should be the one to come.  You will still probably receive an owl at some point this morning, though.”

Draco took a sip of his coffee, nodding appreciatively.  “No, thank you for coming.  To be honest, I feel more comfortable speaking with you than them.  What exactly did they say?”

McGonagall’s face softened a bit at the compliment.  “They have found the other two men that were involved in the incident on December 5th.  One of the men that was just arrested has pled guilty.  He gave a full statement, and declared how each of the other individuals were involved.  He also gave an account of possibly how you were able to get to Mr Potter’s door.”

Draco perked up at this information; he and Harry had discussed it briefly the night before.

“It seems that just before you went unconscious, according to this man, you mumbled something out-loud.  Do you recall this?”

Draco, who had been taking another drink of the coffee, chocked a bit at what she said.  He coughed once, blushing as he said, “Yes, I do.”

McGonagall gave a knowing look, but his mother began speaking.  “What?  Draco, why didn’t you say anything?  Especially to the Aurors!”

“Well, honestly, when they first questioned me, I wasn’t sure it had actually happened.  I thought it was probably my imagination, or something.  It was days later, after going over it and over it, that I considered that maybe it actually did happen.”

McGonagall nodded, continuing her tale.  “He apparently said that you spoke out-loud, just as one of the other men…”  She trailed off and cleared her throat, causing Draco to look at her questioningly.  “I’m sorry,” she said, looking between Draco and Narcissa.  “This might be hard to hear.”

Draco reached for his mother’s hand, squeezing it lightly.  “No, please continue.  I’d like to know what happened, since I can’t remember.”

Narcissa nodded, as well.

“Very well.  He said the man kicked you, causing you to whimper in pain.  Just as the one man moved to let the person behind him ‘have a turn’,” she said, using air quotes, “something happened.

“He said that your pocket seemed to glow white, and with a sudden flash of light, which caused them all to jump back, you disappeared.”

Draco sat stunned for a few moments.  What did it all mean?

Narcissa was the first to speak.  “What was in your pocket that could possibly glow like that?”

“My wand.”

McGonagall nodded.  “That is what I assumed.  Is this a new wand?  Or is it…”

“It’s the wand that I got when I turned eleven.  Harry… returned it to me right before we went back to Hogwarts.  But, wait, that still doesn't make sense.  Does that mean I apparated?  Wouldn't the ministry have called me in for using magic that I'm not allowed to do per my probation? Is that even possible, though?  I was unconscious!”

“Yes, I believe they would have called you in, which causes me to suspect that it wasn't just your magic at play in this.”

Draco’s eyes widened and he gasped slightly.  “The link,” he whispered to himself, looking down at the floor.

“I’m sorry?”  McGonagall gave him a questioning look.

Draco quickly looked back up at the woman, shaking his head, saying, “Pardon me.  You see… well, when Harry returned my wand...we believe it may have caused us to form a—a link?  I truly have no idea what it all means, but I believe that Harry needs to be a part of this conversation.  He has a bit more knowledge on the subject, if I’m being honest.”

He sat up further in his chair.  He quickly thought about flooing to Grimmauld, and asking Harry to join him, but quickly dismissed the idea; Harry hadn’t directly said anything, but Draco liked to think that he had indeed learned a bit about Harry in the past few months, and knew with absolute certainty, that the Manor was still full of horrible memories for Harry.  It was, too, for Draco, but he was trying to erase those by replacing them with new, happier memories with his mother.

“If you would, may I ask that you both accompany me to Grimmauld to speak with Harry?  I’m sure he wouldn’t mind the intrusion, and then we may all hopefully understand a bit more of what occurred that night.”

Both women nodded their agreement, and Draco soon found himself, his mother, and Professor McGonagall in Harry’s sitting room.

Draco called for Kreacher.

“Good morning, Master Draco,” Kreacher said, bowing low.  “What can Kreacher do for you?”

Draco could see his mother’s eyes widen as the house-elf addressed him.

“Kreacher, we need to speak with Harry.  Is he still asleep?”

“Yes, sir.  Do you wish for Kreacher to wake him?”

“Actually, no, I’ll do it.  Could you see about tea for four, though?  I know the kitchen is a wreck, but—”

“Kreacher can manage, sir.”

Before Draco could say anything else, Kreacher had popped out of the room.  Draco turned to the women, saying, “I will just go get Harry.”  He smiled slightly at them, turning and walking quickly out of the room.

Draco made his way up to Harry’s room.  As he opened the door and saw Harry sprawled on the bed, he found that he wished that his mother and the headmistress were not, indeed, downstairs, and that he could instead just crawl into bed with Harry.  Draco closed the door behind him with a sigh.

Harry was laying in the middle of the bed, with his head facing the side closest to the door. 

Draco quietly walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed.  He found that he truly didn’t want to wake Harry, either; he looked so peaceful.  He sat there a few moments, relishing, yet again, that he was allowed to be sitting on the same bed that Harry Potter was sleeping in.  His life had changed so completely in the last few months, and for once, in what seemed like years, he was happy.  Truly, blissfully, happy.

Draco gently reached his hand out, moving a piece of hair from Harry’s eye.  He lightly cupped Harry’s cheek, rubbing it with his thumb.  Harry’s eyes flickered, but then went still.

Draco moved so that he was kneeling on the bed.  He couldn’t resist leaning over and softly kissing Harry’s temple.  He then moved and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.  He placed another on the corner of his mouth.  This caused Harry to move again, and Draco watched as two emerald orbs slowly blinked open.

“Draco?”  Harry looked confused, blinking several times.

“Good morning,” Draco said, rubbing Harry’s cheek again.

“Whattimeisit?  Whatareyoudoinghere?”  He stretched his arms up towards the headboard, yawning loudly.  Draco could hear his bones popping.

Draco reached over to the bedside table, picking up Harry’s glasses.  He pulled open the arms and handed them to Harry, who slipped them on.  “It’s about 9:00. I’m sorry to wake you, but my mother and Professor McGonagall are down in your sitting room.”

That statement made Harry sit up, now wide awake.  “Come again?”

Draco moved so that he was again sitting on the edge of the bed.

“McGonagall showed up at the Manor this morning informing me that the Aurors had arrested two other men that they believed were involved in my attack.  One of them gave a statement, detailing the event.”

As Draco paused to take a breath, and Harry reached for his hand.

“McGonagall said that the man told the Aurors that my pocket seemed to glow white, a bright light formed, and then I suddenly disappeared.

“She then said something about how it wasn’t just my magic that could have caused it, and I automatically thought about the possible, well, probable, link between our wands.  I decided that you should be a part of the conversation, and so we came here.”

Harry sat stunned a moment, trying to process what Draco had told him.  Suddenly, the first part of the conversation came to the fore-front of his mind.

“Wait, McGonagall and your mother are downstairs, right now?”

“Yes.”

“Fuck!”

Draco was surprised as Harry quickly pushed the duvet off of him and literally jumped over Draco as he ran into the bathroom.  Draco smiled to himself as he heard water running, assuming Harry was brushing his teeth.  Soon Harry was running across the room to the closet.

Draco could hear Harry mumbling curse words behind the closed door as Harry changed out of his pyjamas.  Draco was still sitting on the edge of the bed when Harry came hopping out of the closet, putting his shoes on.

“Well?  Don’t just sit there!  Come on!”

Draco stood and walked towards the door, but stopped when he saw that Harry was still standing near the closet door.  Draco turned to him, giving him a questioning look.  “What?”

Draco saw Harry sweep his eyes over him.  “Sorry.  I just didn’t notice what you were wearing, earlier.  Damn.”

Draco smirked, smoothly walking towards Harry.  “You like?”

“Are you kidding?”  Harry wrapped his left arm around Draco, pulling him close.  “I definitely like the new look.”

Draco said, “Mmmm.  I knew you would,” as he leaned in to kiss Harry.  They stood there a moment, relishing in the moment.  Draco felt Harry’s light stubble on his chin as Harry pulled away.  “You know what?  You should grow a beard.  I bet you’d look sexy.”

Harry pulled back slowly and said, “You think?  Maybe I will.”  They stood there another couple of seconds, just staring at each other, before Harry said, “While I would rather just stay here and continue kissing you, I figure we’d better get down there.”  He leaned forward again, giving Draco a quick peck.

They quickly descended the stairs.  Walking into the sitting room, Draco noticing McGonagall and Narcissa were sitting in the two chairs beside the fire, which just left the sofa for the two men to sit on.

Harry nodded to each of the women, saying, “Good morning, Narcissa.  Professor.”  As he sat down, he said, “I’m so sorry for keeping you waiting.  Draco was filling me in.  I’m glad to see Kreacher was able to scrounge up some tea.  I’m in the middle of renovating the kitchen, you see.”

Narcissa smiled at him, nodding.  She glanced over at Draco as he sat down less than an arm’s length away from Harry.

“Draco said something about him disappearing, and that was how he got to my stoop?”

Professor McGonagall sat up straighter in her chair.  “Yes, it seems so.  One of the men that they arrested yesterday gave a statement that Mr Malfoy seemed to disappear from within a bright light.  We have decided that it couldn’t be apparition, as the ministry would have called Mr Malfoy in for a breach of his probation.

“Mr Malfoy then spoke of a link between you two?  What did he mean by that?”

Draco and Harry looked at each other.  Draco shrugged slightly, nodding.  Harry took a breath, beginning to tell his tale.  “As you are probably aware, seeing as it was all over the papers last summer, my wand was broken while we were on the run last year.  I had been using Hermione’s, and then Ron gave me one that he had won off of someone.  Then, we went to the Manor, and, well…”  He took a deep breath, and gulped.  “I then won Draco’s wand from him, after I took it by force.”

Draco thought back to that night, and the aftermath of the event.  He shuddered, glancing up his mother, who was doing the same.

Harry continued.  “I used that wand to eventually kill Voldemort.”

Draco was very proud of himself that he only winced when the name was spoken.  He didn’t know if he would ever be able to hear it and not have a reaction.  It had been ingrained in his psyche for far too long.

“Once it was all over, I used the Elder Wand to repair my wand, leaving me still with Draco’s wand.  I knew that I wanted to give it back to its rightful owner, but knew I needed to do so properly.  So, I contacted Mr Ollivander.

“He told me about a ritual that would enable me to give back the wand, but told me there was a chance that I would still be able to use it.

“I saw Draco in Diagon Alley a few days before we went back to Hogwarts, and we made plans to meet so that I could give him his wand back.  We did the ritual, just as Ollivander said to, but apparently our magic is just too powerful, because we both felt as if our entire arms were being burnt off.”

At this part, Draco cut in.  “It truly felt as if Fiendfyre was burning me.  Harry was still gripping my wand, but after he was able to release it, the pain diminished.  I then tried doing an array of spells, and it was working fine; it was mine again.  I haven’t had any issues with it, since.”

“I went and spoke to Mr Ollivander about what had happened, and he said that it sounded as if we had created a bond between our wands.  He said that Draco could most likely use mine completely, and I, his.  To be honest, we haven’t tried it, though.”

He glanced over at Draco, who just shook his head.

“Have the two of you experienced the intense heat since then?”  McGonagall looked intrigued by their story.

Draco and Harry again looked at each other, trying to remember such events.  Harry turned and looked at their professor, saying, “A few times, when we shook hands, or nudged up against each other, there was a warmth in that extremity, but not as intense as the first time.”

Draco wracked his brain, and suddenly said, “Actually, that’s not true.”  Harry quickly turned to Draco, who was giving him a knowing look. 

“Huh?”

“Remember?  At the apparition point, just outside of the Hogwarts gates?”

Sudden recognition bloomed bright on Harry’s face, as his cheeks reddened.  Draco smirked.  “Oh.  Yeah.  I remember, now.”

This time it was Narcissa that spoke.  “You felt the intense heat, again?”

Draco nodded slightly, still looking at Harry.

“When was this?”

Harry gave Draco a look, as if asking ‘Well?  Should we just tell them?’

He lifted up his shoulder in a shrug.

“We felt it again when we…when we kissed for the first time.”  Draco said the last few words in a rush.  He didn’t dare look up to see his mother’s face, knowing with certainty that she was giving him a smirk.

McGonagall said after a few moments, “Well, I can’t say that I’m surprised.”

That made both Harry and Draco look quickly over at her, mouths wide as they began to protest.

She just waved them off, continuing.  “I don’t know much about wandlore, but from what you’ve told us, I believe the kiss is what truly sealed the bond.  I believe it a good idea to go speak with Ollivander again, but I am going to go out on a limb and say that not only can you both use each other’s wands, but I have a feeling that you can use each other’s magic, as well.

“Harry, did you notice anything strange right before Draco showed up?”

Draco could see Harry thinking back to that evening.  His eyes lit up after a few moments, saying, “Yes, actually.”  He turned and looked at Draco.  “Right before the doorbell rang, my leg got really hot.  It lasted just a couple of seconds, and then it was gone.”

“Was your wand in your pocket?” Harry turned back around to look at McGonagall, who had asked the question.

“Yes, it was.”

“Just as I suspected.  I have to say, I am very intrigued by all of this.”

“As am I,” Narcissa said.  “Wandlore is a fascinating subject.”

“That it is.”

Harry and Draco sat stunned as the two women conversed. 

Suddenly, Harry said, “Professor, will this…must we…I don’t even know how to ask what I’m trying to ask,” Harry said, shaking his head.

Draco had the sudden feeling that Harry and he had been thinking the same thing.  He felt a rush of something, as he said, “I believe what Harry is trying to say is, will we have to inform the ministry about our bond?  Will it come into play when we have to testify before the Wizengamot?”

“Yes, that is exactly what I was trying to say.”  Harry smiled at Draco.

Narcissa smiled as she looked at the two young men.

McGonagall’s face relaxed for a moment, but the pinched look returned just as fast.  “Unfortunately, I think it might.  When that man gives his testimony in front of the Wizengamot, he will mention your disappearing.  The majority of the people in the room will have been there in July, and know the aspects of your probation, so I’m afraid…”  She didn’t continue.

“I assumed as much,” Draco said, looking down at the floor.

“Monday morning, we—I will take our wands to Ollivander’s and see if he can figure out what happened.  If the ministry calls attention to you, we will explain what happened, and what Ollivander found out.  We’ll make sure that they understand that you have done no wrong.”  He reached out and grasped Draco’s hand, squeezing it lightly.  “I promise.”

Draco nodded, but continued to stare at the floor.

The foursome sat in contemplative silence for a beat, before McGonagall changed the subject, saying, “Well, Harry, from what I can see here, I am very impressed by your renovating skills.”  She swept her eyes across the sitting room. 

“Thanks, Professor.  Draco and I have worked hard the past few months.”

“I can see that.  I look forward to getting the full tour at Christmas.  As it is, I must get back to Hogwarts.  I bid you all a good day.”  She stood, walking towards the fireplace.

“Professor, wait.”  Harry had stood, walking towards her.  “Would you be willing to accompany me to Ollivander’s on Monday?  You know more about what the ministry said.” 

McGonagall stopped and turned to face Harry.  “Yes, Monday is agreeable to me.  I will meet you there, say, 9:00?”

“That would be great.  I will send an owl to Mr Ollivander, letting him know.  Thank you.”

“As I said, this is all very interesting.  I will see you on Monday, then.”  She nodded, turned, and disappeared in a flash of green flames.

Harry went and sat back down next to Draco.  They waited a moment, and then Draco said, “Well, don’t dally mother.  It doesn’t look good on you.”

Narcissa gave them an innocent look.  “To what do you mean, darling?”

“Mum, please.  I know you have something to say, so just, out with it!”

Narcissa smirked, again.  “Very well.  So, you two are together?”

“Yes, we are.”

“And when did this occur?”

“The day before the attack.”

“Oh, so this is that new?  The morning after, in hospital, I had thought that it had been going on much longer.”

Harry turned beet red.  “Wha—what?”

“Well, you two were spending a lot of time together, working.  I was sure something was going to come of it.  I just thought it had happened much sooner than it apparently had.”

Draco turned to Harry and gave him a look that said, ‘I told you.’

“No, it’s a recent thing.  You and McGonagall are the only other people that know, and we would like to keep it that way, if possible.”  Draco gave his mother a glare.

“Not even your father?”  Narcissa seemed to give Draco a saddened look.

“ _Especially_ father,” he replied with a growl.

“Drac—”

“ _No._ ”

Harry looked concerned when Lucius’s name was spoken. 

Narcissa seemed to look between the concerned look on Harry’s face and the furious one on Draco’s face, before she said, “Very well.  I will not say anything more at this time.”

Draco tensed as he mentally prepared himself for the conversation he knew was coming once they were alone again.

Harry squeezed his fingers, bringing Draco back to the present.  He squeezed Harry’s fingers in return.

Narcissa then glanced at the clock on the wall.  Draco followed her gaze, and saw that it was nearly 10:00, already.

Harry stood up, walking over to the desk in the corner.  Draco saw him pull out a sheet of parchment, dipping his quill in the ink and writing a short note to whom he assumed was Mr Ollivander.  Once he finished, he called for Kreacher.  The elf popped into the room, bowing to Harry.

“Kreacher, has Orion returned to his perch?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Could you please ask him to come over to this window?”

Kreacher bowed again, popping out of the room.  Harry didn’t have to wait for too long before his owl swooped onto the window sill.

Draco could hear Harry say to the bird, “Sorry to wake you, mate, but I need you to take this letter to Mr Ollivander at Diagon Alley.”

Draco turned to look at the handsome owl.  He heard the owl hoot softly as he stuck out his leg for Harry to attach the letter.  Harry fastened on, and then scratched the bird’s head.  Once the bird had gotten enough affection, he lightly nipped Harry’s finger, and flew away.

Harry stood and watched him for a bit, then closed the window and returned to the couch.

They sat there in silence for a few moments before Narcissa said, “Well, it is just about the time I said I would be here.  Is it fine if I go up to attic?” 

Harry jumped up, saying, “Oh! Of course! Please.”

He waited for Narcissa and Draco to stand, gesturing to Narcissa to lead the way upstairs.

The trio had barely gotten to the door, though, when the fire flared up.  They all three turned to see who was coming through. 

Draco felt his blood run cold when he caught sight of the woman standing on the hearth.  At first glance, the woman looked exactly like his Aunt Bellatrix, but upon further inspection of her face, he realized she also had some of his mother’s features.  His brain seemed to come to a halt when he realized he was looking at his Aunt Andromeda.  A small child sat on her hip, who Draco guessed was Teddy.

“Harry!  I hope you didn’t forget about…”  Her words tapered off and her eyes widened as she caught sight of who else was in the room.

Draco looked over at his mother, who looked as if she had seen a ghost.  “Dr—Dromeda?”

He looked back over at his aunt, who had nearly the exact same look on her face as his mother.  “Cissa,” she whispered.

Draco didn’t know what was going to happen.  He looked quickly between the two women, until he saw Harry snap-to, and went over to grasp Teddy from Andromeda’s arms. 

Harry looked back at Narcissa, seemingly asking her what he should do.  After what seemed like hours, but was merely seconds, both women walked quickly towards each other, wrapping their arms around the other, crying into each other’s shoulders. 

Draco stood looking shocked at his mother and aunt.  The two women broke apart, wiping at their eyes, but still holding hands.  They both chuckled lightly, when they saw the state of themselves in the other’s eyes.  Narcissa took a step back, and motioned to Draco to come over.  He cautiously walked toward the women.  His mother grasped his hand, saying, “Dromeda, I don’t believe you’ve ever met your nephew, Draco.”  He was pulled into a hug, heart swelling. 

Pulling back, his aunt placed a palm on his cheek.  “It is an absolute pleasure to finally meet you.  I’m sorry I wasn’t around during your childhood.”

Before he could speak, his mother had grabbed her sister’s hand, moving over to the couch.  As the two women sat down, Harry walked over to Draco’s side.

They looked at each other with small smiles, but Draco’s grew as he looked down at the child in his boyfriend’s arms.  Harry looked down at the emerald eyes that Teddy was displaying.  Harry grinned, pecking a kiss on the baby’s head.  He looked back up at Draco, nodding his head to indicate they should leave the room.

Draco followed Harry out onto the landing.

“I can’t believe that just happened,” he breathed.

“Nor I.  I completely forgot that Andy wanted me to watch Teddy for a few hours this morning.”  Harry peeked back into the room.  Draco did the same, seeing the two women sitting on the couch, holding hands, talking. 

“Mother has mentioned a few times this autumn about contacting her, but she just didn’t know how to go about doing so.”

“Well, I’m glad that it could happen because I’m daft and forgetful.”  Harry grinned, causing Draco to chuckle.

“Me, too.”

Draco stepped forward to kiss Harry, but at that moment, Teddy squealed.  Harry stopped and looked down at the baby in his arms.  “What’s up, Teddy Bear?”

Teddy looked up into Harry’s eyes.  Draco couldn’t see what he did, but the grin on Harry’s face meant something important had happened.  Harry pecked several kisses on his godson’s head and cheeks.  This caused Teddy to squeal again, wiggling in Harry’s arms.

Draco was mesmerised by the sight in front of him.  Harry was so good with the child.  He had only seen him holding the child for less than five minutes, and he already knew that Harry would make a great father someday.

Apparently his awe shone on his face, because when Harry looked back at him, he received a questioning look.

“What’s wrong?”

Draco snapped out of his reverie.  “Nothing, sorry.  Just admiring how great you are with him.  So, this is my cousin, I suppose?”

“Oh! Yes! Sorry!  Draco, this is your cousin, Teddy Remus Lupin.  Want to hold him?”

Before he could even dream to decline, Teddy was placed in his arms.  He looked down at the little boy, and was mystified as the baby’s eyes changed to nearly the same colour of grey as his own eyes.  He gasped, quickly looking up at Harry.

“Did he do the eye thing?”

All Draco could do was dumbly nod as he looked back at Teddy, who reached up to touch his face.

“He has mastered the eyes.  He has been able to do that since he was four months old.  He’s working on the hair, now.”  Harry reached back out to grab him, turning him in his arms to show Draco that the boy had a few patches of bright blond hair on the back of his head.

“Isn’t he brilliant?”

“Yeah, he is,” Draco said with the beginnings of a loopy grin appearing on his face.  He quickly snapped out of it, replacing it with a stoic look, instead.  “I mean, I guess.  For a baby.”  He reached back out and took Teddy from Harry’s arms, though.

Harry gave him a wide smile before leaning over and giving him a kiss.  “Come on, let’s go figure out what else we need for the kitchen.”

The trio made their way down the stairs, entering the kitchen.  Looking around, it looked a complete mess.  There was no cabinets and holes where the appliances should be.

“Well, we’ll have to go shopping today, I think.  I also want to put down tile on the floor.  What do you think?”  Draco, who had been making faces at Teddy, hummed in response.

Teddy giggled, reaching up to pull on Draco’s hair.

When Harry didn’t speak again, Draco finally looked up at him.  “Sorry, what?”

Harry just gave him a smile, saying, “You know, you look really good with a baby in your arms.”

“Sod off.”

“No, I mean it.  It suits you.”

“Yes, well, I can look good doing about anything.  Holding a baby isn’t any different.  Anyway, what were you saying about tile?”

He switched Teddy to his other hip as he and Harry discussed what they needed to get.

Once they had made a list, they went back upstairs to see if the two women were still in the sitting room.  Sure enough, when they peeked their heads in, the two sisters were sitting on the couch.

“Oh, Harry!  I’m so sorry we’ve taken over your sitting room!”  Andromeda jumped up as the two men walked into the room.

Harry just smiled at her, walking over and giving her a hug.  “It’s no worry, at all.  We just wanted to tell you that we are going to be going out to muggle London to get the kitchen appliances.  I have a few diapers in Teddy’s room, but didn’t know if you had packed—”

Andromeda’s eyes went wide as she pulled out a small bag from the pocket of her robes.  With a wave of her wand, she unshrunk it to show Harry all of Teddy’s things.  “I’m sorry, I completely forgot.  He has diapers, and his bottles are in here.  He’s very prone to his lion, so it’s in here, too.”

“Great.  Then we’ll be off.”  He shrunk the bag again, placing it in his pocket.  “You two can stay as long as you wish.  Kreacher will gladly get you anything you desire, as well.”  He turned to Narcissa.  “And the attic door is unlocked, so you can come and go as you please.”

“Thank you, Harry.”  Draco was shocked when Narcissa stood and gave Harry a small hug.  Harry seemed to stand bewildered for a moment, but quickly reciprocated.  She then walked over to Draco, who was still holding Teddy, and gave him a peck on the cheek, whispering, “You look very handsome holding a baby, Draco.”

Draco huffed, whispering back, “Oh, not you, too.”

His mother gave him a questioning look, but he just shook his head.  Narcissa reached out, lightly petting Teddy’s cheek.  He reached for her hand, causing Narcissa to smile.

Harry walked over to them, looking at Draco.  “Do you want to hold him as we walk, or do you want me to?”

Draco looked down at the child in his arms, shrugging.  “I’ve got him.  No big deal.”

“Okay.  I’ll make it easier on you, though.  Here, put on your coat, and then hold him on your front.”

Draco gave him a questioning look, but Harry held Teddy while Draco put on his coat, and then placed Teddy back in his arms, pressed against Draco’s chest.  With a wave of his wand, a harness was wrapped around Draco and Teddy, letting Draco have control of both his arms.  Teddy moved around a moment, getting comfortable, and then squealed in delight.  Harry again waved his wand, and Teddy was wrapped in warmer clothes and a blanket.  Teddy started babbling against Draco’s chest.

“Such a happy baby,” Harry said, leaning out to kiss the top of Teddy’s head.  He looked up at Draco, and with a quick side-eye look at Narcissa, shrugged and leaned up to kiss Draco on the cheek. 

Draco could feel his cheeks getting warmer, as he had the perfect view of both his mother and his aunt as they gave him looks.  He rolled his eyes, though, straightening the harness a bit, and said, “Well, let’s go.”

Harry nodded, and they disappeared out the door of the sitting room.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

“I swear Potter, you need all of this for the kitchen.  It will be perfect.”

They were standing in the middle of the kitchen, unloading their pockets of their shopping, unshrinking the packages and appliances.  The large appliances had easily been magicked into their correct spots.  Harry was pleased to see that the kitchen was already starting to come together.

“And I swear, Malfoy, you are just trying to make sure that I go completely broke!  When will I ever use this?!”  Harry pulled a bright purple, elephant-shaped plate out of a bag.

“Biscuits?  Sausages?  Butter?  The possibilities are endless!  It’s better than whatever this…thing is.”  He pointed towards the muggle toaster that Harry decided to pick up as they were leaving the first store.

“It’s a toaster!  You like toast, do you not?  How else do you expect to make toast for breakfast?  Wait—don’t answer that.  What am I thinking?  I’m talking to a Malfoy!”

“Very funny, Potter.  He just thinks he’s so funny, doesn’t he?”  Draco looked down at Teddy, who he was still holding in the harness.  Teddy giggled as Draco lightly pinched his cheeks.

Harry walked over to them.  Grinning, he leaned over to Teddy, saying, “Oh, great.  Now you’re taking his side?  Huh?  I see how it is!”  He reached out and tickled Teddy, who was giggling and gurgling.  “Here, wrap your arms around him, again.”

Draco did, and with a wave of Harry’s wand, the harness disappeared.  Harry took the baby from Draco’s arms.  “Are you ready for your nap?  Huh?”  At that moment, Teddy yawned.  “Thought so.  I’m going to go put him down.” 

“Do you have the furniture for his room?”  Harry patted his pocket, nodding.

Harry carried Teddy upstairs.  They had definitely worn the baby out; Harry figured he would sleep until Andromeda came to pick him up in a few hours.  Harry smiled as he thought about how adorable Draco looked while holding Teddy.  The way he cooed at the baby made Harry’s stomach twist pleasantly.

Walking into Teddy’s room, he pulled multiple things out of his pocket.  The store that they had gone into to look at the appliances was also a furniture store.  Harry decided to go ahead and get a few more pieces for Teddy’s room.  Unshrinking them, he levitated a changing table onto the wall beside the door, and a beautiful dark coloured wooden rocking chair into the corner. 

He placed Teddy down on the changing table.  He pulled Teddy’s clothes off, quickly changing his diaper.  Pulling out the bag that Andromeda gave him, he unshrunk it and pulled out pyjamas.  After Teddy was dressed, Harry sat down in the rocking chair.  Teddy was continuing to yawn, but it took a few minutes of rocking for him to finally fall asleep.  Harry looked down at his godson, suddenly wondering if Sirius had ever done this with him.

Before he let his mind wander too far, he got up and carefully placed Teddy into the cot.  He cast the spell that Molly had taught him: a surveillance charm that creates two glowing yellow orbs.  They were floating in the air in front of Harry.  He placed one on the corner post of the cot.

He stood there a couple of moments, just staring at his godson.  A smile formed on his face when he felt what was now becoming the familiar prickle on the back of his neck letting him know Draco was near.  Without taking his eyes off of Teddy, he stuck his right arm out behind him, fingers cupped, ready for Draco to take.  He didn’t have to wait but just a couple of seconds before Draco did take it. 

“How do you do that?”  Draco’s breath tickled Harry’s neck as the question was whispered close to his ear.

“I told you.  Magic.”  He smiled up at Draco, who just shook his head at his boyfriend.  He joined Harry in looking down on the sleeping Teddy.

“I hate you, Potter.”

Harry didn’t know where that had come from.  Draco was still holding his hand and smiling as Harry looked over at him with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.  All that could come out of his mouth as a hissed, “What?”

“I hate you.  Because of you, I have completely fallen head over heels in love with a _baby_.”

The grin that quickly took form on Harry’s face was as wide as he could make it.  He pulled Draco towards him, kissing him full on the lips.  Draco, taking his hand that was attached to Harry’s, pulled it around his back.  Harry took the hint, and moved his other arm to clasp his hands together around Draco, as Draco moved both of his around Harry’s neck.  After a few moments, they pulled apart, breathing hard.

Draco breathed into Harry’s ear, “Is it nap time for the adults, as well?”

Harry could only nod slightly as he took Draco’s hand back into his, pulling him out of the room, closing the door gently.  The yellow orb followed them up the stairs.

As they entered Harry’s room, Draco latched his lips back onto Harry’s.  Harry kicked the door shut, moving their bodies toward the bed.  They released each other as they kicked off their shoes and fell onto the bed.  They moved so that their heads were on the pillows.  Harry leaned in again, giving Draco a chaste kiss.

“Told you he was brilliant.” 

“He’s incredible.”  Draco sighed.  “I don’t know how you’ve done it, Potter, but you have changed me into a cuddly, baby-loving person!”  To prove his point, he pulled Harry toward him, wrapping an arm around Harry’s torso.

“And how do you figure it’s all my fault?”

“I have been your friend for less than four months, and in that time, I have become friends with Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs.  I play chess with Weasley, and talk about classes with Granger.  That _never_ would have happened if it wasn’t for you.

“I have been your boyfriend for just two weeks.  In that time, I have learned more about myself than I ever thought possible.”

That took Harry aback.  “What do you mean?”

“I…my parents weren’t…”  He sighed again.  “I knew they loved me, but I was never shown it through hugs or kisses.  My mother would hug me, of course, but only when father wasn’t around.  He was always working when I was younger, so I only saw him when I peeked through the door to his study.

“What I’m trying to say, is, I didn’t know how to show affection…hell, I didn’t even know it was _okay_ to show affection, until you kissed me.  Salazar!  Just the fact that I feel comfortable enough to tell you all of this, shows how much you have changed me!  What have you done to me, Potter?!”  Draco, who had been laying on his back looking at the ceiling while saying all of this, finally turned and looked at Harry, who was smiling at him. 

“What I’m trying to say is, it’s all your fault.  I don’t know how you’ve done it, but you have.”

“Well, if that’s what you’re accusing me of, then I will gladly take the credit.” 

Harry leant in, but before he could reach Draco’s lips, the blond moved so that he was straddling Harry.  He bent over, taking Harry’s face into his hands.  He moved the curly hair off of Harry’s face, putting it behind his ears.  As he leant in, he whispered, “Thank you,” before placing a tender kiss on Harry’s nose. 

“Thank you,” he said as he kissed Harry’s left cheek.

“Thank you,” he said as he kissed Harry’s right cheek.

“Thank you,” he said as he lightly traced Harry’s lips with his tongue.

“Thank you,” he whispered as he finally kissed Harry’s mouth.  Harry arched up into the kiss.  He pushed his tongue into Draco’s mouth, doing a dance with Draco’s for dominance.  After kissing languidly for many minutes, Draco pulled back. 

“You’re welcome,” Harry whispered, with a small smile.  “And thank you for telling me all of that.”

Draco moved back beside Harry.  He again moved a piece of hair off of Harry’s forehead, finding his scar.  He lightly brushed his thumb over it.  They were silent for a few minutes before Draco, looking up into Harry’s eyes, said quietly, “What was your childhood like?”

Harry took a stuttered breath.  He had definitely not been expecting that to come out of Draco’s mouth.

“Er…”

Harry gave Draco a blank look.  Draco didn’t say anything, but just kept looking at him expectantly.

“I…I don’t know what to tell you.  Er, I mean, I’m not sure you really want to know.”

“Why not?  I’ve always been curious about how the famous Harry Potter grew up.  You mentioned a couple weeks ago that you did most of the cooking, and that really piqued my interest.”

Harry sat up in the bed, tucking his feet underneath him.  How did he explain his childhood?  His brain was flooded with memories of being locked in his cupboard, water soup being shoved through the door flap, burning his fingers on the pans while cooking.  He shuddered.

Draco saw the movement, and he slowly sat up next to Harry.

“Harry?”

“Yeah, sorry.”  He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.  “The thing is, my childhood, well…I didn’t know it to be any different.”

“What?”

Harry’s eyes met Draco’s.  He hesitated a few seconds more before he said, “Okay, I’ll tell you.  Just, promise me something before you do?”

Draco’s eyebrows creased as he looked at the concerned look on Harry’s face.  “What am I promising?”

“That you won’t freak out.”  Draco’s brow creased even more.  “I’m serious.  I’m going to tell you some things that I wish I could obliviate out of my brain.  I need to know that I can trust you with this.”

“Harry, what in the hell are you talking about?”

“When my parents died, Dumbledore took me to my mum’s sister’s house, my Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon’s house.  I have a cousin named Dudley.

“They did not like magic.  Because of this, I lived in the cupboard under the stairs.  That was my room.  I—”

“Wait, you mean to tell me you didn’t have a bedroom?  With a bed?”

“Not until after I received my letter.  Then I was able to move into my cousin’s second bedroom.”

Draco mouthed ‘second bedroom’ as Harry continued.

“Like I said, I did most of the cooking, from the time I was tall enough to see over the stove.  Even then, I had a step-stool so that I could reach.”  Harry again looked down at his hands.  “If I burned the food, I wasn’t allowed to eat.  If my cousin wanted another helping, I wasn’t allowed to eat.”  His eyes began to prick at he thought back.

“Harry…”  Draco whispered.

Harry cleared his throat, looking up at Draco.  “Yeah.  After I went to Hogwarts, though, I went to the Weasley’s as soon as I could.”

“Why didn’t you just go there straight from school?”

“Complicated magic that insisted I still call Privet Drive ‘home’ so that I could one day kill Voldemort.  As soon as I turned 17, though, I left and have never looked back.”

“I had no idea.”

“And that’s okay.  The only people that really know about my upbringing are Hermione and the Weasley’s.  They are my true family.  Molly took one look at me and stuffed me with food.  She’s the only mum I’ve ever known.”

They sat there in silence for a moment before Draco reached over and took Harry’s hand in his, rubbing Harry’s palm with his thumb.  Harry smiled up at him.

Harry glanced over at the bedside table and looked at what time it was.  He then looked over at the orb and saw that Teddy was still sound asleep.  He looked up at Draco.

“Come on.”  He pulled up their conjoined hands and kissed the back of Draco’s.  “I think Teddy will sleep for awhile longer.  Let’s go see about putting the kitchen back together, and then maybe I’ll cook you dinner.”

Draco perked up at that, and so the two of them got off the bed, pulling on their shoes, and going back down to the kitchen.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

“Thank you, Harry, for the wonderful meal.  And thank you, too, for taking care of Teddy today.  I did not expect to see Narcissa this morning, but I am so glad I did.”

Andromeda had come back to pick up Teddy just as Harry and Draco had finished putting in the new appliances, counters, and sinks.  Harry had convinced her to stay for dinner, and so she and Draco, who held Teddy throughout the meal, talked while Harry cooked.

She stood, giving Harry a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and then walked over to Draco.  He stood up, giving Teddy a peck on his forehead, handing him over to his aunt. 

“Draco, I am so glad that I was finally able to meet you.  I’m sorry I wasn’t a part of your life growing up.  I’d like to change that, going into the future.”  She pulled Teddy onto her hip.

“I would like that very much.”  He leaned over and gave her a kiss on her cheek.  She smiled at him as she stepped towards the stairs.  She waved goodbye, as did Teddy, and they disappeared up the stairs.

Harry walked up behind Draco, wrapping his arms around Draco’s stomach and leaning up on his toes in order to put his chin on Draco’s shoulder. 

“This has been an eventful twenty-four hours,” Draco said quietly.

“Indeed.  And, it’s only the first day of the holidays.  There’s no telling what’s going to happen before we go back to Hogwarts.”

Draco turned around in Harry’s arms.  “Oh, I have some ideas.”

Harry smiled at him, pulling Draco towards him.  “Is that right?”  He leant in to give Draco a chaste kiss on the lips.

“Definitely.  You know what I don’t understand?” He wrapped his hands around the back of Harry’s head.  “How is it that I had you, in your bed, and all we did was talk?”

“It wasn’t my idea.  You are the one that started chatting, so don’t blame me.”

“I know.  I don’t know what I was thinking.”  He sifted his hands through Harry’s hair, causing Harry to moan lightly and tilt his head as if to follow Draco’s hand.

Draco pressed quick kisses on Harry’s exposed neck, leading up his chin, and then to his mouth.  Harry instantly opened his mouth to allow Draco access.  They stood there, battling each other for dominance, and then finally separated, both breathing hard.

“Fuck.”

“Hmm, not yet.”  Harry smirked at Malfoy, who just looked at Harry with half-closed eyes.

Draco pressed back into Harry, pressing his forehead to Harry’s.  “I should go.”

“I know.”  Harry leant back in for another kiss.  This one wasn’t as aggressive as the last.  They both just allowed themselves the pleasure of the other.

Draco pulled back, again saying, “I should go.”

Harry smiled, saying, “I know.”

Draco went back in for another kiss.  After a few more minutes, Harry took a half-step back, and Draco grudgingly did the same.  “I should go.”

“I know.”  Harry took Draco’s hand, turning off the lights as he pulled Draco up the stairs toward the sitting room.

“I won’t be able to come by tomorrow.  I’m supposed to have lunch with Pansy, and I need to spend some time with my mother.”

“I understand.  Can you come by early on Monday so that I can get your wand to take to Ollivander’s?”

“I’d nearly forgotten about that.  Yeah, that’ll be fine.”

They walked into the room, stepping over to the fireplace.  Harry pulled down the bowl of powder, holding it out to Draco.  Draco took a small handful, kissed Harry once more, said goodnight, and then disappeared in a flash of green flames.

Harry sighed as he replaced the bowl and trudged up to his room.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Harry was awoken when a warm body was pressed back against his front.

“Wazzit?” Harry said as something grabbed his arm and wrapped it around the warmth.

“Sorry.  Didn’t mean to wake you,” someone whispered in the darkness.

“Draco?” Harry questioned with a wide yawn.

“No, Father Christmas,” Draco said with a huff.  “Yes, it’s me.  Go back to sleep.”

“Wh—what time is it?”  He yawned again.

“Really late—early.  It doesn’t matter.  Go back to sleep.”

Harry wanted to ask more questions, but the warmth of Draco’s body and the darkness of the room lulled him.  He pulled Draco tighter against him, and within moments he drifted back into unconsciousness.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Harry awoke sometime later.  The room was still pitch black, and his arms were still wrapped around Draco, but Harry was now laying on his back, and the Slytherin was now laying half-way on top of Harry. 

As Harry became more awake, he became more aware of how his body was responding to being in such close proximity to Draco’s, and also that he really needed to use the loo.  He tried to slowly remove himself from under Draco, but before he was even able to move his arm to push himself up, Draco sighed, snuggling farther onto Harry’s chest. 

Harry tried again, carefully extricating his arm from under Draco, and sliding so that he could move back towards the edge of the bed.  Once he was fully removed from Draco’s hold, he quickly got up and made his way into the en-suite.  After a few minutes, he returned to the side of his bed, taking a moment to admire the sleeping blond, who had turned back over onto his side.

He relished in the overwhelming feeling of joy that overtook him as he realized that he had slept with Draco.  Just as suddenly as that feeling of joy filled him, it was gone, and replaced with a feeling of confusion.  What had prompted Draco to come in in the middle of the night?  And it had been the middle of the night, because as Harry looked over at his clock sitting on the side table, he saw that it was only 5:30.  This made him think that Draco had come in around midnight, because he had gone to bed early, being exhausted from finishing the kitchen the night before.

Harry decided the he desperately needed answers, but as it was still quite early, he decided to wait awhile longer to wake up Draco.  He crawled back onto the bed, settling himself directly behind Draco again.  Draco seemed to move instinctively backwards towards Harry’s warm body.  Harry wrapped his arm around Draco once more, and fell into a fitful sleep.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Draco slowly awoke.  He felt a warmth pressed against his back, and an arm wrapped around his stomach.  He was confused for a moment, but then memories of the night before flooded his brain.  He felt a surge of anger as he remembered the conversations, and then an embarrassed heat appeared on his face as he remembered flooing to the first place he could think of: Grimmauld.

He knew Harry would be wanting answers, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready to answer them.  He sighed lightly, and then stiffened when he felt the arm that was around him move and start sliding up and down his side.

“You awake?”

“Yeah,” Draco whispered.

“Not that I’m complaining, but are you going to tell me why you’re in my bed?”

“Not if I can help it.”

“Draco—”

“I know.”  He carefully turned over, facing Harry.

“Good morning,” Harry said with a small smile.

“Morning.” 

Harry gently kissed Draco, as he lightly scratched his back.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, really.  I just…got in an argument, and didn’t want to go back to the Manor.  Grimmauld was the first place I thought of.  Without thinking, I just climbed in here.  Sorry.”

“Why should you apologize?  You know you are welcome here, whenever you want.  Who did you argue with?  What was it about?”

“It’s not important.  I just—”

He was interrupted by Kreacher apparating into the room.

“Master Harry, Kreacher is sorry to wake—” The elf paused in his speech, quickly looking between the two men.  “Kreacher is sorry, sir, but Mistress Narcissa is calling.”

“Shit!” Draco yelled, rolling over onto his back, slapping his hand over his eyes.  “I’m sorry, Harry, for getting you involved.  I’ll be right back.”

“Draco, do you want—?”

“No!”  The way Draco said it, startled Harry. 

Draco took a breath, leaning in to lightly kiss Harry.  He blinked slowly, then said, “I’m sorry.  No, it’s fine.  I’ll be right back.”  Draco smoothly removed himself from the bed, leaving Harry and Kreacher in the bedroom.

Harry was completely confused.  What in the hell was going on?  He desperately wanted to follow Draco downstairs so that he could get some answers, but he stayed sitting up in his bed, waiting on the blond to get back.

“Kreacher, would you please get us some breakfast?  Eggs, toast, and coffee would be great.”

The elf bowed, disapparating with a pop.

Harry got up and brushed his teeth.  He walked over to the door, opening it slightly to see if he could hear voices coming from the sitting room, but it appeared as if a silencing charm had been used.  He crawled back onto the bed to wait.

He only had to wait a few more minutes.  Draco slowly made his way back into the room, looking paler than normal.

“Draco?”  Harry tossed the duvet off of him, scooting down to the foot of the bed, where Draco had sat down.  “Draco?  What’s wrong?

Harry lifted his hand to touch Draco’s chin, turning it so that he could look at the pale face. Draco wrenched his face from Harry’s hand, though.

Draco stood and began to pace across the floor.

Kreacher popped back in with a large bed tray filled with their breakfast.

“Thank you, Kreacher.  You can just leave it there.”

Kreacher sat the tray down on the bedside table, cast a warming charm over the food, bowed, and disapparated. 

Draco was still pacing the floor, hand running through his hair, mumbling words Harry couldn’t quite make out.

“Draco, please.  Tell me what’s wrong.”

Draco stopped pacing, coming to a stop right in front of Harry.  Harry reached out to take hold of Draco’s hand, but before he was able to grab it, Draco had moved forward, gripping Harry’s shoulders as he aggressively kissed him.

Harry was thrown off guard as Draco pushed him back to lie down on the bed, Draco straddling his waist.

Their lips separated for a moment, as Draco reared up and ripped off his shirt.  Harry’s breath caught as he took in the pale chest.  Without thinking, he lifted his hands to run over the blond’s smooth stomach. 

When he had clothes on, Draco looked far too skinny, with his bones jutting out; nothing but pointy edges.  Without clothes, though, he was a sight of perfection.  The hair on his chest was so pale that it was hardly there; one had to really look for it in order to see it.  Harry could definitely tell that Quidditch had done the man good, too.  His stomach muscles were well defined, as were his pecks.  Harry’s breath stuttered as he took a hard look at the body before him.  He moaned quietly as Draco took his hands and brought them up his chest. 

“Harry!”  Draco moaned his name.  Harry’s pants suddenly got tighter as all thoughts of questioning Draco disappeared from his brain at that sound.

Harry leaned up, bringing their lips together once more.  Draco opened his mouth, issuing a silent plea for Harry to invade it.  Harry took a quick swipe with his tongue, then pulled Draco’s tongue into his mouth.  Their tongue’s danced in their mouths for a few moments, and then Draco’s head jumped back, causing them both to breath hard. 

Harry took that moment of hesitation to flip them.  He straddled Draco’s waist, taking off his own shirt.  He rubbed his hands up and down Draco’s chest, pinching his nipples.  This caused Draco to moan louder.  Harry could feel his pants getting tighter by the second.

Harry leaned over Draco, kissing him on the lips, and then moving down.  He pecked a kiss on his chin, his collarbone, and then took Draco’s right nipple into his mouth.  He flicked the nub a couple of times, groaning as he felt Draco shudder underneath his hands.

Harry lifted his head to take in Draco; the blond was breathing hard and shivering, moaning every few seconds.  Harry glanced down and saw the bulge at the front of Draco’s denims, which caused his own to twitch.  Harry raked his nails lightly down Draco’s chest, which caused Draco to scream in pleasure.

Trying to get another reaction, Harry did it again, but slower.  He watched his fingers start at Draco’s neck, slowly descending down.  He noticed a few small scars near Draco’s collarbone, but didn’t think much of it, until he got to the large one that criss-crossed across Draco’s front.

He followed the scar with his finger, feeling Draco tense underneath him.  He wondered for a moment how Draco had gotten such a scar, when it suddenly hit him: _I did that_.

“Shit. _Shit!_ Draco?”  He whispered the name, sitting back and looking up at his boyfriend.

Draco, who was still breathing hard, and whose eyes were closed, slowly opened one eye to look up at Harry.

“Draco, I…I…” He didn’t know what to say.  They had talked about the incident briefly, but he had never officially apologized for the curse that he had thrown at Draco without even knowing what it did.

Draco leaned up a bit, grabbing for Harry’s hand that had just left his chest.  Harry put his hand in Draco’s; Draco took it and placed it on top of the scar.

“ _Potter_ did this,” Draco whispered with a scratchy voice.  “You are Harry.  I need Harry.  Please.  Don’t.”

Harry nodded, again tracing his fingers down the scar.  He knew they’d need to talk more about it later, but now, he could see Draco’s straining bulge and could feel his own, while deflating just a bit, still begging for release, so he continued on with his ministrations.

He removed his fingers from the scar and replaced it with his mouth, kissing and licking it, causing Draco to arch up from the bed, keening.  Reaching his stomach, Harry kissed Draco’s naval several times, before sitting back again.  He lightly traced the edge of Draco’s trousers, pausing a moment to think if he was really going to go through with this. 

He had never gotten this far in his experimentation last summer.  While he was afraid he would mess it up, because he had no experience with it, he knew that he wanted to please Draco.

He looked up at Draco, asking quietly, “Is this okay?”

“Harry! Please! Oh, please!”  Draco was shuddering above Harry, now.  Harry figured he was doing something right, if this was what Draco’s response was.

With that in mind, he slid off the bed, pulling Draco closer to him.  Making himself comfortable in between Draco’s legs, he opened the button and slowly unzipped the two halves of Draco’s trousers, pulling the flaps apart.  He pulled Draco’s trousers off of his hips; Draco lifted up, giving him an easier time of it.  Once they were pooled around his knees, Harry’s smoothly removed them completely.  Now, Draco was just in a pair of black, silk boxers.

Harry moaned at the sight.  He caressed Draco’s legs, starting at his ankle and working up to the middle of his thighs.  As he did this, he leant in and mouthed Draco’s swell, kissing it and licking the silk.  Draco thrashed underneath him.

Harry started speaking before he even knew what words were coming out of his mouth.  “You’re so beautiful, Draco.  I want to take you apart piece by piece, and then put you back together again.  Can I do that?”

Draco screamed again as Harry open-mouthed kissed his cloth covered cock.  “YES!  Oh, please, Harry!  Yes, yes, yes!”

Harry reached up, grasping the elastic of the boxers, carefully pulling them down.  Just seeing Draco moving underneath him like that was making his own cock throb even more, if it were even possible.

As Draco’s pants were finally removed, Harry sat stunned for a moment as he took in the gorgeous cock before him.  If there was still any lingering doubt as to if he was gay, this moment absolutely confirmed it.  Draco was long and thick, with just a sprinkling of pale hair.  It was standing full at attention, bright pink head dripping with pre-come.  The veins were pulsing, and Harry couldn’t wait any longer; he leant in and licked up, from bollocks to the head.  Draco howled, gripping the blanket with white knuckles.

Harry again licked over the head, lapping up the pre-come.

Harry had never tasted anything as perfect as that.  Yes, it was salty and bitter, but it was _Draco_ , and that made it all the more better.  Gripping Draco’s hips, he again flicked over the head, taking more of it into his mouth.  He moaned around it, taking in all of the tastes and smells that were assaulting his senses.

Harry took it in his mouth as far as he could, gripping the rest when he began to gag.  He stroked it a few times, moving his tongue around, sucking on it, when suddenly Draco shuddered underneath him, screaming, “Harry!”

That was all of the warning Harry was given before Draco came, spurting into Harry’s mouth.  Harry wasn’t ready for it, so, choking, Harry released Draco from his mouth, getting hit with spurts of come on his face, hair, and chest.

Throughout all of the commotion, it wasn’t until Draco sighed in pleasure and exhaustion that Harry realized that he had come too, completely untouched.

He gently stood, going into the en-suite to get a couple of wet flannels.  He came back in, cleaning off his face and chest, then washed Draco clean.

Draco looked down at Harry as he was washing Draco.  “Oh my gods.  That was a—amazing.”  He was still shaking with aftershocks.

Harry smiled up at him, kissing Draco’s hip.  “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“What about you?  I should help you get off.”  Harry grinned at the way Draco sounded so sincere.  Without really thinking about it, Harry stripped out of his pyjamas and pants, cleaning himself up.

“Too late,” Harry said, crawling onto the bed and leaning over to kiss Draco.

Before he reached Draco’s lips, however, Draco had slipped from underneath Harry and gotten off of the bed.  Harry sat stunned for a moment as he saw Draco quickly getting dressed.  Had he done something wrong?

Draco looked around the room, not looking at Harry.  He spoke to the wall, saying.  “I can’t do this.”

“Do what?” Harry cast for his clothes, putting them on and walking to stand in front of Draco, who was still avoiding looking at Harry.  “Do what, Draco?”

“I can’t be with you.  We can’t be in a relationship.”

Harry was stunned silent for a moment.  What in the hell was going on? 

“What are you talking about?”  Harry reached for Draco’s hand, but Draco just stepped away from Harry.

“It’s just like I said.  We can’t be together.  I—I don’t like you.”

Seeing the way his face broke as he said that last sentence, Harry knew he was lying.  “Draco, whatever is going on, we can deal with it.  Together.  I know you.  This isn’t how you really feel.”  He again tried to reach for Draco.

“No, you don’t!”  Draco screamed as he crossed the room, causing Harry to jump, tears pooling in his eyes.  “You don’t know me!  You don’t know anything about me!  This could never work!  I’m tainted.  You’re Harry Potter, Saviour, and I’m Draco Malfoy, Death eater.  That’s all you need to know about me!”

Anger and sadness flooded Harry’s senses, but for now, anger won out.  “So what, you’re just going to treat me like a cheap whore, and then run away?  Was that why you crawled into my bed in the middle of the night, so you could seduce me, get what you came for, and then leave?  You’re right, I don’t know who you are, because the Draco that I know would _never_ do that.  To anyone.  I thought you had changed, but I guess not.  How Gryffindor of me to think differently of you, huh?  Fine, leave.”

Draco looked crushed as Harry spoke to him.  Harry couldn’t understand the emotions that were flicking across Draco’s face as the blond walked solemnly over to the side table, where their breakfast was still sitting, completely forgotten.  “Here’s my wand for your meeting with Ollivander.  I will come by later to pick it up.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Harry said harshly, arms crossed against his chest.  “I’ll figure out a way to make sure you get it back, and that you are filled in on what is learned, today.  There’s no reason for you to come here.”

Harry could not believe how fast this morning had flipped.  Just a few hours ago, Harry had stood staring at a sleeping Draco, pure joy coursing through his body.  Not even fifteen minutes, he’d had Draco’s cock in his mouth, and now…  Well, he didn’t want to think about it.

Draco nodded mutely, looking at the floor.  He paused for a split second, but then straightened and walked out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Harry collapsed on the bed, sobbing quietly to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What in the world is going through Draco's head?! We'll find out more next chapter, I promise!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	10. Merry Christmas!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Sorry it's taken me so long!
> 
> My only excuse it that our boys are being difficult.
> 
> SO difficult, that I decided to cut this chapter WAY down.
> 
> I figure 9.5k is a decent amount of words, though, so it's all good! This also means that since I have a lot written already, maybe it won't be 3 months before I post the next chapter! (Here's hoping, anyway.)
> 
> As always, I appreciate you reading, and comments and kudos are the best!
> 
> <3 ~B.

Harry woke with a start; his alarm clock was singing at him.

Grumbling, he turned over and flicked it off.  Laying on his back, he stared at the ceiling and sighed; he had been in the middle of another dream starring Draco. 

His hardened cock was straining in his pyjamas, but he ignored it.  He felt absolutely ridiculous.  He didn’t _want_ to think about the man.  They had only been friends for a few months, and only been in a relationship for two weeks.  It shouldn’t be so hard to just go back to hating him, but Harry couldn’t.  He desperately wanted to, but he was more hurt than anything. 

He couldn’t help but wonder what had gotten into Draco, though.  Draco coming in during the middle of the night, Narcissa calling, and then Draco’s bizarre mood swing.  None of it made any sense. 

_Stop it_ , he scolded himself, getting out of bed.  It was done, and they were no longer together.  _I need to focus on today._

Hermione was supposed to be coming over in a few minutes to go shopping, so he forced himself to put the blond and his flagging cock in the back of his mind and went to take a quick shower and get dressed.

He was just holstering his wand when he heard Hermione’s voice calling for him.  He made his way down the stairs towards the sitting room, where Hermione was standing waiting on him.

“Morning, ‘Mione,” he said, pecking her on the cheek.

“Good morning, Harry!  Are you ready to go?”

“I just need to go down to the kitchen to get my money bag, and then I’ll be ready.  Would you like to see it?  I finished it the other day.”

Her face lit up as she quickly said yes, and the pair went down into the room.

Hermione gasped as she took in the immaculate appliances and sinks.  Harry had put in an island, which had seating around it, perfect for morning coffee.

The original long table was still there, but shined up.  Hermione took in everything with a large smile on her face.

“Oh, Harry, it’s perfect!”  She opened a cabinet, glancing at the new dining ware he had purchased.

“Thanks.  I decided to just get new everything.  Some of the plates and things had chips and cracks.  I chose something more to my liking.  What do you think?”  He desperately wanted her approval.

She turned to him, sensing that need, and said, “It’s lovely!  I can’t wait until you invite us over and cook us a delicious meal,” she added with a wink.

Harry laughed as he walked over to the drawer closest to the refrigerator, pulling out his money bag.

He motioned for her to lead the way back upstairs as he said, “Kreacher seems to be liking his new space, too.  He cried when I put the elf heads up.  I even put a hook up near his door so he can hang the locket.”

Hermione grinned at him as they stepped into the floo, yelling out ‘Leaky Cauldron’ as they swirled away in green flames.

They stepped out of the fireplace, waving a hello to Tom, and then walked out back to the brick wall that led into Diagon Alley.

Harry took a deep breath, steeling himself.

“What’s wrong?” Hermione asked.

“Oh, nothing.  It’s just every time I walk through Diagon, lately, I get accosted by hordes of people.  I came Monday to speak with Ollivander, and was practically attacked as Professor McGonagall and I left.”  He shook his head.

“What were you doing with Professor McGonagall at Ollivander’s?”

_Shit_. He hadn’t told Ron and Hermione what was going on.  “Er, well…I’ll tell you when we meet Ron for lunch, okay?  It’ll be easier for me to tell you both at the same time.”  Receiving a curious look from Hermione, Harry was quick to add, “It’s nothing bad, I promise.  It’s just…lengthy and confusing.”

She nodded in understanding, so Harry turned and tapped the bricks, which opened up to the bustling cobblestone path along Diagon Alley.  Even with Christmas only two days away, the weather was decently pleasant.  There were high, thin clouds, which let streams of sun through, and the temperature was near perfect for that time of year. 

Harry placed a small smile on his face, beginning to walk down the alley.  Without fail, every third person they came across called out to them, some coming up to shake their hands.  By the time they had gotten to Weasley Wheezes, Harry was just about ready to call the trip off and go home.  A reporter and a camera man had stopped them, taking several pictures and asking multiple questions.  Harry was already mentally preparing himself for the ridiculous (no doubt front page) article that would be in tomorrow’s Prophet.

Bracing himself for the large crowd that was no-doubt inside the store, Harry followed Hermione inside.  Sure enough, they were assaulted by noise as they walked in.  They walked towards the front desk, where a red-faced Ron was trying to help four people at the same time.

“I’m sorry ma’am, we are out of stock of the new trick brooms.  We will not be getting a new shipment in until next Monday.”

“No, sir, those are not the Canary Creams.  Those are Jumping Snakes.  The Creams are on the third shelf.”

“Yes, ma’am, those are…”

Harry grinned as he saw his best mate interacting with the customers.  Harry nudged Hermione, whispering in her ear, “He’s so great at this.”

She turned and smiled at him.  “He is, isn’t he?”  She turned back to continue watching her boyfriend, a proud smile on her face.

After the people left, happy with their purchases, a young woman who looked just a couple years older than them walked out of the office in the back, and took over the register.  Ron turned to go through the door leading to the office, but caught sight of the pair watching him.

“Harry!  Hermione!  What are you two doing here?”  He bounded over, shaking Harry’s hand and giving Hermione a kiss, before ushering them into the back staff room, offering them a seat at a round table that had samples of some of what Harry guessed were new products.

“We are out shopping, and thought we’d come here and get some things.  Didn’t expect to see you, though!”  Harry smiled at his best mate.

“Yeah, I wasn’t planning on it.  I was supposed to be helping Mal—” He stopped himself, turning red.

Harry gave Ron a questioning look, asking, “Malfoy?  What's he got to do with anything?”  Harry’s chest tightened a bit as he said the name.

Ron’s eyes flicked between Harry and Hermione several times before he said, “Er, well, I was, er, supposed to be helping Malfoy with a project, but he owled yesterday and cancelled.  So, I figured I’d come help George out.”

“What kind of project?” Harry was beyond curious; Ron and Malfoy willingly spending time together?  It didn’t make sense.

“Nothing, nothing.  Don’t know why he cancelled though.  Do you know why?  Have you talked to him lately?”

“Why would I know his daily plans?”  He hoped his voice didn’t express his anger, but from the looks on both his friends’ faces, he knew that it did.

“Well, you two are—” Ron was interrupted by Hermione jabbing her elbow into his stomach.  “Oh, I mean, er…”

“You’ve just been spending a lot of time together, remodelling Grimmauld, is all,” Hermione said.  Harry noticed her and Ron giving each other more looks.

“Yeah, well, not anymore.”  Harry scowled to himself.  They sat in silence for a few moments, but then Harry asked, “So, where’s George?  I haven’t seen him in awhile.  How’s he doing?”  Harry added the last question after a quiet pause.

Ron glanced behind him before saying, “He was helping a customer, last time I saw him.  He’s…yeah.  With Christmas coming up, he’s getting a bit more closed off.  But, he’s George, and so he tries to crack jokes whenever it gets too…yeah.  Angelina is helping a lot, though,” he added with a small smile.

“Johnson?”  Receiving a nod, Harry smiled.

“Yeah.  They started ‘hanging out’ during the summer.  They’d been friends in school, you know.  But, one day in June, she just showed up at the house.  She was the only one that was allowed in George’s room.  They talked for what seemed hours, and then the next thing we knew, George was finally coming down for meals.  He was smiling a bit, too.”

“I noticed them holding hands at my birthday party, but didn’t think much of it.”

“Yeah, she was just a shoulder to lean on, and then I guess it started to become more.”  Ron pretended to shudder as he said, “why are we talking about my brother’s love life?  Change of subject, please!”

Harry smiled at Ron, saying, “Business seems to be booming!”

“Yeah, it is!  It’s been crazy all week, what with Christmas being Friday.  Speaking of, I think my break is just about finished.  Are we still meeting for lunch and then going shopping in Muggle London?”

“Yeah, does the Leaky sound okay at, say, 12:30?”

“Perfect.  I’ll see you later.”  Ron stood, leaning over to kiss Hermione again, and then headed back out into the mayhem. 

Harry and Hermione followed him out to browse through the store.  Hermione picked a few things out, as did Harry, and once they were paid, they made their way farther down the Alley.

Going from store to store, by the time they met Ron at the Leaky Cauldron, Harry had gotten something for everyone that was left on his list, including a few more things for Teddy’s room at Grimmauld.

Ron was already there, saving a table for them towards the back.  As soon as Harry and Hermione had sat down, a waitress came over, took their order, and then disappeared. 

Harry had barely settled into his seat before Hermione was saying, “So, Harry, what was it that you wanted to tell Ron and I?”

Ron gave them both a curious glance.  “What?”

Harry took a moment to collect his thoughts.  Did he really want to tell them _everything_?  About the kiss?  He didn’t want to open Pandora’s Box, so he decided against it.  He took a deep breath, not just because of the long tale he was about to say, but also because of the memories it would delve up from the last weekend.

“Okay, long story, short?  You know how I gave Malfoy back his wand before we went back to Hogwarts?  Well, before-hand, I asked Ollivander about how to properly do it.  He told me about a ritual that we should do, and we thought we did it right, but apparently something happened, because we both suddenly felt as if our arms were being licked by Fiendfyre.”

Both Ron’s and Hermione’s eyes widened as he mentioned Fiendfyre.

“Now, apparently, I can use his wand completely, and he, mine.  We haven’t tried it, though.  Neither of us have had any problems with our wand, though, either, so we’re not quite sure what it all means.”

Harry then told them about feeling a warmth when they would shake hands or bump into each other.

“Have either of you felt the fire since that first time?”  Hermione had leaned forward in her seat whilst Harry was telling his story.

“Once more, a few weeks ago,” Harry said.  “The reason I went to Ollivander’s is because we had reason to believe that… We had reason to believe that not only can we both use each other’s wands, but can use each other’s magic.”

“What?!” Both Ron and Hermione yelled at the same time, causing several people that were sitting around their table to look over at them.  They meekly lowered their voices, again saying, “What?” at the same time.

Harry couldn’t help but smile at their synchronicity.

“Yeah, Ollivander confirmed it.”

“But what made you think it was possible?”

“Well, McGonagall received news from the Ministry last weekend that someone else had been arrested in connection with the attack on the Knight Bus.  He gave a statement, where he said that Malfoy spoke out loud and then disappeared in a ball of light. 

“McGonagall said he couldn’t have apparated, because as part of his probation, the Ministry would have called him in for questioning if he had.  We confirmed, when I went to talk to Ollivander, that he called out for _me_ , and, using my magic, via his own, cast an accio charm on himself.  Ollivander couldn’t explain the bright light, though.  He did say that Malfoy would have been brought into the house, but we did such a great job on the wards, the house basically wouldn’t allow him entry.  His wand cast a charm to make the doorbell ring, instead.”

If he wasn’t so upset about being reminded about Draco and everything that had happened in the last few days, Harry would have burst out laughing at the twin gobsmacked looks on Ron and Hermione’s faces.

Hermione leaned forward.  “How did Ollivander confirm all of this?”

“He cast a charm on both of our wands, sifting through the spells that had been cast on that evening.  I honestly have no idea how he narrowed it down to that specific time, but he and McGonagall seemed to understand it.  Ollivander wrote a statement of his own, which McGonagall says we can use when we have to testify at the trial.” 

“Your magic can…and your wands…casting spells…wow, Harry.”

“Yeah, that’s what I said.  It’s impressive magic, as McGonagall and Ollivander both keep telling me.  I still don’t know what it all means, but I’ve been reminded once again that my magic is powerful.”

“Well, yeah, mate, obviously,” Ron said.  “But, it also means that you and Malfoy have compatible magic.”

“So I’ve been told.”

Harry just shook his head as Hermione whispered something in Ron’s ear.  They did have compatible magic; he knew that for sure.  He had thought that they themselves were compatible, but he must have been mistaken.

They chatted a bit more as they finished their lunch, and then they all stood to say goodbye.  Hermione flooed out of the restaurant, which just left Ron and Harry, standing by the table.

“So, what are we shopping for?”

The blush that appeared on Ron’s face had nothing to do with the winter air that swept by their table as several people came through the door.  “Well, er, you see…”  He smiled weakly at Harry, as he sat back down at the table.  Harry sat down across from him.  “I wanted to get Hermione a necklace, and I knew that if I bought it in Diagon, somehow, some way, it would get back to her, and I really want it to be a surprise.”

Harry smiled at his best friend.  Ron smiled back, continuing to speak.

“Back in October, I flood over to Grimmauld one weekend to see if you wanted any help with the remodelling, but you weren’t home.”

Harry’s eyes widened at that.

“I didn’t feel like going back to the Burrow, and it was still too early for me to go to Wheezes, so I decided to walk around your neighbourhood.  I’ve never really gone into Muggle London, as you well know, but I conquered my fears and went for a walk.”

“Wait, you walked around my neighbourhood, _by yourself_?”

Ron nodded.  “I really did.  And while I was out, I found a little jewellery store.  I went in, just for kicks, and started talking to the owner.”

Harry knew his eyebrows were reaching his hair line.  He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. 

“He asked me some questions, and when I said that I really wanted to get Hermione something special, he started asking me things about her, and our relationship.  While we were talking, he started drawing, and came up with the most amazing design.  We talked a little bit more, and I used that square thing you made me get from Gringott’s to…”

“To put money down?  Wow, Ron!  You had something specially made?  That must be costing a fortune!”

“It is, believe me.  I’ve been working with George on the weekends since term started, though, so I have it.  And besides, she’s worth it, you know?”

Harry stood, walked over to stand by Ron, and pulled up into a big hug.

“Mate, that is beyond brilliant!  And may I say, I’m really proud of you for thinking about this for so long!”  He nudged Ron’s shoulder.

“Shut up, Harry!”

Harry just grinned at Ron.  “So, what do you need me for?  It sounds like you have everything covered!”

“Well, I’m supposed to pick it up today, and I wanted you to come with me and see it.  Would you?”

“Absolutely!  Let’s go!  I can’t wait to see it, and now I really can’t wait to see Hermione’s face!”

Ron smiled as the two of them headed back out into Diagon Alley towards the apparation spot.  Harry gripped Ron’s arm, as Ron twisted away to land in the alley that Harry always used.

The two chatted as Ron led the way towards the shop.  As they approached, Harry saw that it was named _Jewell’s Precious Jewels_.  A bell clanged in the back as they walked through the door.

A kind looking older gentleman appeared through a door.  “May I he— Ah!  Mr Weasley!  Perfect timing!  I was just cleaning the finished product and getting ready to put it in the box.  Would you care to look at it, before I do?”

“Yeah, that’d be great,” Ron said with a wide grin.  He looked over at Harry, who just stood bewildered by the exchange.  It appeared as if Ron had gotten over his fear of muggles.

“Give me just a moment,” Mr Jewell said, as he turned and went back through the door.

Harry placed a hand on Ron’s arm as the man started fidgeting.

“Mate, she’s going to love it.”

“But what if it’s not right?  What if she doesn’t like it?  What if—”

“Ron, mate, you know I love you both, right?  I have been there through all of the jealousy, and secret pining, and everything.  Trust me.  Once you tell her how much trouble you went through to get this, and how much she means to you, she wouldn’t care if it was a smaller version of _Monster Book of Monsters_ to hang around her neck.  She’ll love it because it came from _you_.  I promise.”

Ron seemed to calm down a bit, nodding and smiling at Harry.  “Thanks, Harry.”

They only had to wait a bit longer, as Mr Jewell soon walked out, carrying a small box.  He lifted a black piece of velvet from under the counter, placing a beautiful pendant and chain on it.

Ron stepped forward to see it, as did Harry.  What Harry saw made him gasp lightly.

Made of white gold, it was an outline of an open book, but the outline wasn’t completely closed.  It was slanted, so the top left corner of the design was where the chain attached.  Also in the corner was a small sapphire, and a larger heart-shaped diamond just underneath that.  In all, Harry thought it looked exquisite, and he was even more sure that Hermione was going to love it. 

Ron stared down at it as Mr Jewell explained what he had done and the extra things he had added.

“You said her birthday was in September, correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“When I put in the diamond, the gap was too large to be able to solder it, so I added the Sapphire in there to make it more secure.  What do you think?”

“It looks even more amazing than I could have ever dreamed!  She’s going to love it!  Thank you, sir!”  Ron was grinning from ear to ear.

Mr. Jewell placed it into the box that he had brought out, securing it so that the pendant was the first thing that was seen, with the chain wrapped around the insert.  He pulled out some wrapping paper, quickly and expertly wrapping the package, complete with a festive bow.

Ron followed him over to the till, speaking to the man as if they were old friends.  Once he had paid, Ron shook the man’s hand and walked back over to Harry, smile still large on his face. 

Holding up the small black bag that held the wrapped box, he asked Harry, “Could I leave this at your place, Harry? Since we’re having Christmas at yours, anyway, it would save me from not forgetting it on Friday.”

“Of course!  I put up a tree in the lounge and have all of the presents for everyone under there, anyway.”

“Lounge?  You mean the sitting room?”

“No, I finished another room this week.  I’ve had a lot on my mind the past couple of days, so working on it gave me something to focus on.  I couldn’t sleep, so I finished it really quickly.” 

A lot on his mind was an understatement.  Harry had been so upset over what Draco had done, that after leaving McGonagall to take the wand—and the information they had learned—back to the Manor, Harry had gone home and ripped apart the room across from the sitting room. 

At first, he didn’t know what he was going to do with it, but then the idea of having a non-formal living space came to him.  He didn’t sleep at all that night, getting his aggression out by painting and replacing the floor and transfiguring the walls to add shelving.  He had gone shopping for furniture the day before, and while in the store, had fallen in love with a large muggle recliner.  He felt a little foolish, but it was so comfortable, he didn’t care.  He got a television and a new DVD player that the man said Harry ‘just had to have.’

Ron and Harry walked up the steps of number 12.  Harry lifted his hand, unlocking the door, quickly getting out of the chilled air, that seemed to be getting colder as the sun began to set.

Harry showed Ron the newly finished room.  Windows lined the back wall, looking over the garden.  Harry had bought two long divans, one sitting underneath the windows, the other jutting out towards the door, making a large L shape.  In the open space behind the second divan sat a small work table and chairs. 

Harry went over and added Hermione’s present under the tree.  He showed Ron the recliner, which sat in the corner beside the couch under the windows.  Ron gladly hopped into it, threw the leg rest up, and sighed.

“I have got to get me one of these!”

Harry laughed at him, saying he was going to go get something to drink.  They spent the rest of the afternoon talking and drinking butterbeers.  Harry sat up the telly and DVD player, which he put in the corner facing the couches, constantly answering the questions that Ron threw his way about the muggle things.  By the time he had figured everything out, it was nearing 6:00, and Ron convinced Harry to join him at the Burrow for dinner.  Deciding it would be best to have one final conversation with Molly before Christmas, he acquiesced, and they made their way through the floo.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Harry’s alarm woke him at 7:00am on Christmas morning.  He groaned as he reached over to turn it off.  He curled back under the blanket, not too keen to get out of his warm bed.  He turned over, rubbing his eyes, staring up at his white ceiling.  He blinked a couple more times before reaching over and grabbing for his glasses.

He sighed as his sight cleared.  He mentally picked out his outfit, before throwing off the comforter and going into the en suite.  He showered quickly, before brushing his teeth and then going to get dressed.

He was tying his shoes when he heard a noise coming from downstairs.

He was able to make it down to the sitting room door before Molly had a chance to call for him.

“Oh, Harry!  Happy Christmas, dear!”  She walked over and gave him a hug.

“Happy Christmas,” Harry said with a smile and a kiss on the cheek.  “What do I need to do?”

“Arthur is sending things through, so if you can catch them and send them down, that would be wonderful.”

At that moment, a tray came floating out of the fireplace.  Harry called for Kreacher, asking the elf to take the things to the kitchen.

Harry had had a talk with Kreacher, making sure there would be no issues when Molly came to cook, and was pleased when the old elf just bowed, took the items from Molly’s hands, and then disapparated out.  He was back in a split second, taking more and saying nothing.

“You shouldn’t have any problems with him today,” Harry whispered to Molly.  “We have an understanding,” he added with a smile.

Molly returned the smile, patting Harry on the cheek.  “I’ll just head down to the kitchen, then.”

Harry nodded, adding, “Just call for me if you need anything.” 

Molly was out the door before he could get the last word out, though.  He just shook his head as Kreacher popped back in to take more things to the kitchen.  By the time all of the food had been sent to the kitchen, Harry was convinced Molly was planning on feeding the entirety of the Wizarding World.  She had, of course, prepared the majority of the food the day before, so only had to do so much the day of, but with the quantity of food, there was no way any of them would go hungry until well after New Year’s.

Harry went down to the dining room, making sure everything was perfect.  He had bought a smaller tree that he had put in there, just to give the room a festive look.  He had had a lot of fun buying the decorations, too.  He had never been allowed to touch the decorations when he was younger, because Aunt Petunia had a specific way she wanted the tree to be set up, so he had spent a lot of time the past few days going to different shops and picking out beautiful glass baubles and twinkling fairy lights.

Harry had always loved the way the Weasley’s tree was covered in bright colours and things that the kids had done when they were younger, and so he had bought the brightest ornaments he could find.  He had gotten both muggle and magical ornaments, too.  He stood back and admired the tree, stepping forward to say hello to the fairies that flitted around it. 

He had transfigured the table longer, in order to fit everyone, too.  If he was being honest, Harry was really excited and proud to be able to host everyone.

He walked down to check on Molly.  “Do you need any help with anything?”

“No thank you, dear.  I have everything—” she flicked her wand at a pot that was boiling on the stove, “—under control.  I have to say though, that you have done an amazing job with this kitchen!  It’s incredible; if I didn’t know where I was, I wouldn’t have recognized it!”

“Thanks.  We worked really hard on it.”

“We?”  Molly turned to look at him.

“Um, yeah.  Well, er…”  Harry looked down at the floor.  “Draco Malfoy has helped with most of the house.”

“Oh, yes, Ron did mention that you had become friends.  I’m so glad.  I know his father has done some terrible things, and he was forced into a lot of it as well, but he was just a boy.  You all were.”  She sighed, turning back to the stove.  “I’m proud of you for letting bygones be bygones, and moving forward with your lives, though.  Will he and his mother be joining us today?  There will be plenty of food.”  She glanced back at Harry.

Harry just stood there, hoping that his face did not give him away entirely.  Was Molly saying what he thought she was saying?  No, she couldn’t be.  It wouldn’t matter, anyway, he told himself.  “Er, no.  I’m sure they already have plans.”

Molly just hummed as she turned back and pulled open the oven.

Harry frowned as he walked out of the kitchen.  He tried to read between the lines of what Molly had just said.  He shook his head, heading up to his bedroom to finish wrapping presents.

He had gotten to the third floor when he heard the floo.  He immediately turned and went back down the stairs, stepping into the sitting room to see Bill and Fleur.

“Harry!  Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas!”  Harry walked over to them, shaking Bill’s hand and giving Fleur a hug.  She kissed him on the cheek, and as he pulled back he realized— “Oh, my goodness!”

They smiled at him as he hugged Fleur again, and gripped Bill’s hand in a firm handshake.  “Congratulations!  I had no idea!”

“Ron didn’t tell you?  He was home when we made the announcement.”

“No, and now I have the perfect excuse for kicking him in the arse!”  Harry laughed.  “When are you due?”

“Ze end of April, ze healer sayz,” Fleur said as she rubbed her growing belly.

“Well, congratulations, again!  Oh, I wish I could have been there to see Molly’s reaction!  I can’t believe no one told me.”  He shook his head.  “Anyway, here, let me take your cloaks.”  He waited for them to take off their cloaks, putting them in the closet in the hallway, right outside the sitting room door.

“Wow, Harry.  This place looks amazing!”

“Thanks.  It’s been slow, since we’ve only been able to work on the weekends, but the main rooms are finished.  I’m hoping to have a few more rooms done by the time we go back to Hogwarts.  Feel free to look around.  There’s a tree in there,” he said pointing across the hall, “that has all of the presents, if you have any to add.  Molly is down in the kitchen, of course.  I need to go finish wrapping some gifts, so just make yourself at home!”

“Thanks, mate,” Bill said, gently escorting his wife into the lounge.

Harry turned and went back up the stairs.  Walking into his room, he quickly swished his wand to make his bed and pick up the clothes that were strewn by the bathroom door; he knew people would be touring the house, and he didn’t want them to see his pants laying about.

After everything was cleaned up, he walked over to his closet.  He stepped in and, after flicking his wand again, a large package floated down from the top shelf.

He carried it over to his bed, gently placing it on top of the comforter.  He unwrapped the string and paper that was covering it, taking his time to set the many pieces across his bed.  He looked down at them and smiled. 

_I hope they like these_ , he thought.  He walked over to his chest of drawers, pulling some wrapping paper off of the top.  He deftly flicked his wand, grateful that Hermione had taught him the spell to make wrapping gifts much simpler.  He affixed notes on the packages, saying to whom each one belonged.  Once he was finished, he carefully stacked the packages on top of each other.

Looking down, he saw the two he had left for last.  He smiled sadly at it.  These were Draco’s.  Harry had been very excited when he had first seen them.  He knew that Draco would like them, and he had been looking forward to seeing the blond’s reaction when he opened them. 

Harry sighed, sitting on the bed.  He had not let himself really dwell on the encounter with Draco, all week.  It had only been four days ago, and once Harry let himself think about it, he became even more angry and sad.  What had happened?  What had been going through Draco’s head?  Harry had come to realize that something had to have been said in the ‘argument’ Draco talked about.  Again, it had only been four days, but those four days had seemed the longest Harry had experienced in awhile. 

Harry didn’t want to admit it to himself, but he missed Draco.  He missed his scent.  He missed his hand in Harry’s.  He missed his smile, and _Merlin_ he missed his eyes.  Just being able to look at him.  Harry sighed.

_No._   Harry stood up, flicking his wrist and wrapping the last two packages.  _No.  It is Christmas, and I am going to enjoy it with the people that actually want to be in my company._   He sent the packages back up to the shelf in the closet.  He sighed, rubbing his eyes under his glasses.

Shaking his head, he sent a spell at the stack of packages on the bed, making them float in front of him as he made his way down to the lounge.

As he turned into the doorway, he saw that Bill and Fleur had been joined by George & Angelina, Ron & Hermione, and Ginny.

“Merry Christmas, everyone!” He smiled at the group sitting around on the couches as he walked over to the tree, carefully placing the gifts down on the ground.

“Merry Christmas, Harry!”  Hermione got up from her spot on the floor, coming over to give Harry a hug.  “When did you do this room?  How did I not notice the other day?  It’s great!”

“Finished it Tuesday night.  I decided the sitting room can be the formal room for guests, and this one can be for when I just need to relax.  I see you all have figured out the telly?”  He looked over at George, who had the remote, randomly pushing buttons.

Hermione smiled, pulling him to sit in-between her and Ginny in front of the couch that Ron, George, and Angelina were sitting on. “I tried to explain how it worked, but do you think they listened?” she whispered to Harry.  Harry laughed. 

“Where are your parents?  I thought they were coming?”

Hermione’s smile faded slightly.  “Mum wasn’t feeling well, so they just decided to stay at home.”  She sighed.

Harry wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into a side-hug.  “I’m sorry to hear that.  I was looking forward to seeing them again.”

“I feel a bit guilty, being here and not there, but they insisted.”

Harry smiled at her.

“Oh, well.  I’ll probably just leave a little early.  We have plans for tomorrow, so maybe I can make it up to them.  Anyway,” she said, changing the subject, “where is Draco?  I assumed he would be here!”

Harry stiffened as he slowly turned his head to face Hermione.  “Why would he be here?”

Hermione’s brows furrowed, slightly.

“Because you’re together, right?”  It was Ron who quietly asked the question, bending over so his head was in-between Harry and Hermione’s.

Hermione slapped Ron’s shin, causing Ron to recoil a bit, but still looked at Harry for an answer.

“No,” Harry spat, as the anger he had been repressing suddenly flooded his mind.  Just as suddenly, though, a distinct hurt echoed through him, and he said, barely above a whisper, “No, we’re not.”

Harry quickly stood up, striding from the room, knowing that Ron and Hermione would be following him.  Sure enough, just as he reached the foot of the stairs, a hand wrapped around his wrist, stopping him from moving.

“Harry?  What’s wrong?  What happened?”

“Nothing.  I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Well, that’s too bad, mate, because you know ‘Mione won’t stop nagging you until you answer her.”  Ron received another light slap on the arm and a scowl from his girlfriend, but Harry swallowed the snort he was about to emit when she turned her attention back to him.

Harry turned again to go up the stairs, and again Hermione grabbed his wrist, but he just pulled her along, Ron following in their wake.  Once they were up in his bedroom, Harry waved his wand, silencing charm falling in place around the door.

Harry gave a loud sigh, throwing himself on his bed with a bounce, preparing himself mentally for the barrage of questions that were soon to follow.

“Why would you ask if Draco and I were together, Ron?”

“Well, because we all thought you were?  You two were mighty close towards the end of term.  And, well, I saw the way he was playing with your hair during the game, on Thursday,” Ron said, cheeks flaming.

“Bloody hell,” Harry moaned, grabbing a pillow to cover his face.

“Harry,” Hermione said, reaching over to grab Harry’s wrist.  “What happened?”

Harry mumbled into the pillow.

Hermione grabbed from his hands, tossing it towards the head of the bed as she asked, “What?”

“It doesn’t matter.  All you need to know is that we were, and now we aren’t.  No one else needs to know it ever happened.”

“Oh, Harry.  Of course it matters.  I haven’t seen you that happy in…well, a long time.  What happened?”

“Why are we talking about this?  And why are you both so calm about it?  This is Malfoy we are talking about!”

“Harry, we just want you to be happy.”

“Yeah?  Well, I’m not, so there you go.”  Harry huffed a heavy sigh as he stood up and walked towards the door.  He made sure not to look at either of his friends as he started down the stairs.

“Harry? Do you mind if I use the floo?”  Hermione stood at the top of the landing, causing Harry to wave a confirmation as he continued descending.

“I’m going to set up the table,” he said, as he realized Ron was following closely behind him.

“I’ll help.”

Harry just grunted at him as they went down to the dining room, trying not to think about what had just occurred.

Harry summoned the new plates that he had bought for the occasion, starting to set the table.  Ron was placing glasses on the table when he broke the silence. 

“Mate, what happened?”

Harry, who was skirting around the edge of the table to place another plate, nearly tripped over the feet of the end chair at Ron’s voice.

“Ron, please.  You rea—”

“No, I don’t really want the details, but would you rather talk to me or Hermione?”  He stood waiting on Harry to look up at him, and once Harry did with a furious look, Ron said, “It will make things much easier on all of us if you just tell me.”

Harry sat down another plate, and then seated himself into a chair.  Ron walked around and sat across from him.

“Talk.”

“Ron—”

“Talk.”

“What do want to know?”

“How long?

“Two weeks.”

“Really? That’s it?”

“How long did you think?”

“Well, we assumed sometime in November.  You two had been spending a lot of time together.”

“He was helping with the renovations.  That was it.”

“Until it wasn’t.”

“Yeah, until it wasn’t.”  Harry sighed, running his hand through his hair.  Sitting there, he thought back on the past couple of weeks.  “We really had only been ‘a couple’ for two weeks,” he said, using air quotes.  “We had a great day, Saturday, finishing the kitchen, taking care of Teddy.  It was…yeah.  It was great.”  Harry could feel his cheeks heating up, trying to avoid looking at Ron.

“Then, I was awoken in the middle of the night, when he crawled into my bed.”

“What?”

Harry glanced up at Ron, whose wide eyes and reddened cheeks were looking at Harry.

“I woke up to him crawling into my bed.  He said that he had an argument with someone, and the first place he thought of was here.  He didn’t give much more detail than that.  When we woke up, his mother floo called, and he raced down to talk to her, coming back even more quiet.  And then, we…”

Did Harry really want to tell Ron what happened?  Gods, this was embarrassing.  He did not want to know his friends’ sex lives, and he was sure the feeling was mutual.

“We…yeah.”

Ron’s cheeks got even redder as he realized what Harry was trying to say.  He just gulped, nodding slowly.

The embarrassment Harry was experiencing was causing him to feel nauseous, but he was already through the worst, so he soldiered on.

“After, he suddenly jumped up and said that we couldn’t be together anymore.  He gave me no real reason, just saying that he was tainted, and it could never work because he was a Death Eater, and I was Harry Potter.  Then he left.  The whole conversation lasted less than five minutes.”

“And what did you say?”

“I…er, I may or may not have accused him of treating like a whore,” Harry said quietly.

Ron didn’t say anything for a few seconds, causing Harry to finally look up at him.

“Wow.  I—I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t worry about it.”  Harry ran his hands through his hair, again, sighing.  Ron stared at him for a few more moments.

“So, yeah, that’s my sad little story.  Let’s get back to work.”  Harry stood back up, pushing the chair back in and placing another plate onto the table.

“Harry—”

“Really, Ron.  It’s okay.  Yes, I wish I knew what the hell was going on in his head, but it’s Christmas, and I just want to enjoy the company of my family and friends.  Okay?”

“Okay, mate.”

Harry gave him a wan smile, saying, “Come on, let’s get this finished.  Your mum should be calling us to bring the food up soon.”

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

“Molly, that was absolutely delicious.  Thank you.”  Professor McGonagall gently sat back in her seat, looking across the table to the matriarch.

“Thank you, Minerva.  And thank you, Harry, for hosting us all.  I am still so incredibly impressed with what you have done with this house.”  She looked around the room, taking in all of the small details that Harry had added.

“Thank you.  It’s taken a lot of work, but I am enjoying it.  And, thank you for allowing me to host.  After everything you lot have done for me, this is the least I could do,” Harry said with a smile.

Everyone had been enjoying the enormous meal, chatting with their seat partners.  Harry looked around at the table, taking in everyone that had come.  The Weasley’s and their significant others filled in the majority of the table, with Arthur, Molly, Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Percy, George, Angelina, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville.  Neville’s gran had come too, as well as Andromeda, Teddy, and McGonagall.

“Well, who’s ready for presents?”  Arthur had stood, clapping his hands.  Everyone smiled as they stood up, too.  Harry walked around to pick Teddy up out of his chair, calling for Kreacher to clear the table.

The group made their way back up to the lounge, finding seats around the tree.  Harry sat in his recliner, Teddy bouncing and babbling in his lap.

Molly was the first to stand, sending packages to all of the Weasley’s, Hermione, Angelina, Neville, and Harry.  Harry grinned wide as he quickly opened up his newest Weasley sweater, this one a royal blue, with a light grey H.  He looked around the see what colours everyone else received, noting that Neville had a shocked look on his face.  Harry caught his eye, smiling wide and giving the shocked man a wink of encouragement. 

Neville smiled back, opening his package to find a sweater that was black, with an emerald N on the front.  Both Gryffindors quickly put their sweaters on, grinning.

George stood next, sending packages to everyone.  Harry was pleased to see some of his favourite Wheezes in the package, but also saw some things he had never heard of.  He looked over at Ron, who seemed to have the same thing.

“Oi! What do these do?”  Ron looked up at his older brother, lifting up one box.

“They’re new,” George said.  “They have instructions in the box.  They are also not to be opened in present company,” George said quietly, with a wink. 

Harry glanced back down at the box that he held in his hand, and became very intrigued.  He glanced back up at George, who shook his head slightly and winked at Harry, again.  Harry gave him a curious look, but just placed the box back into the bag with the other Wheezes.

After receiving several more presents from the others, it was Harry’s turn to present his.  He stood up, handing Teddy to Andromeda, and then went to stand in front of the tree.

“Okay, my turn!  Before I hand them out, though, there is a bit of backstory involved.”

He flicked his wrist, summoning the pile of parcels to sit on the ground in front of him.

“Back in October, Dennis Creevey stopped me after supper one night, asking if he could talk to me.”  He could see a shift in the room as he spoke.  “We went up to Gryffindor tower, where he told me that his parents were beginning to go through Colin’s things.  They found boxes upon boxes of pictures, and sent them to Dennis.

“Dennis asked to see me, because if you’ll remember,” he said, looking over at Ron and Hermione, “Colin was constantly following me around, always taking pictures of me.”  He smiled sadly.  “So, in one box that Dennis had, there were quite a lot of photographs of myself, and he wondered if I might want any.  I’ll admit, I wasn’t too keen to look at them, but after his badgering, I did.

“I found that there weren’t just pictures of me, though.  Colin was truly an artist.  He apparently snuck around a lot, taking pictures of random people doing random things.”  Harry’s smile widened as he thought about some of the photos he had seen.

He gestured towards the pile in front of him.  “These were a part of his collection, and once I realized it, I asked Dennis if I could have them.  I was able to make them larger and frame them.  All this being said, I really hope that you like your gifts.”

Harry flicked his wand once more, sending a package towards Molly and Arthur.

Everyone turned to look at them as Molly unwrapped the frame.  As she took in the photo, her eyes filled with tears.  She looked up at Harry, smiling softly at him, just as a tear fell down her cheek.  She looked back at the frame in her hands, before turning it for the rest of the room to see it.  It was a wizarding photo of Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny from a D.A. meeting.  The four of them were standing in a line, laughing, smiling and waving at the camera.  Harry, Hermione, and Luna were talking in the background, too.  George said something to Fred at the same time Ginny appeared to turn away to say something to the group behind them.  Ron laughed as Fred punched George in the arm and Ginny flipped back around and smacked George on the back of the head, causing everyone to laugh even harder.  The photo loop stopped and started again.

“Oh, Harry.”  Molly sat, gripping the frame in her hands, eyes wide as she took in the photo.  “Thank you.”  Arthur looked up at Harry with wide, watery eyes and a sad smile.

Harry nodded as he sent another package towards George.  George caught it swiftly, glancing up at Harry’s sad smile.  Harry could see that George took a deep breath before he quickly unwrapped it.  George let out a sound that sounded half laugh, half sob.  Angelina was smiling as she took in the photo in George’s hands.

Harry felt guilty, once again, as he thought of how much he had ignored Colin during their years at Hogwarts.  The boy had been everywhere, though, and now Harry was finding himself appreciative of that.

This photo was taken when Fred and George tried to put their names in the Goblet of Fire, just as they were thrown out of the Age Line.  The loop began just as they began flying through the air.   They landed on their backs, before they both sprouted long beards.  You could see people in the background, bent over themselves laughing, and began laughing even harder when Fred and George stood and started pointing and laughing at each other.  The loop stopped and then started again.  George was looking at the photo with awe, his smile widening as he continued to watch it.  He finally turned it to show everyone else.

“Those were some mighty fine beards.  I was slightly disappointed when Poppy removed them,” George said, with a smile and a sigh.  “Thanks, Harry.  This is brilliant.”  He looked up at Harry, his eyes watery, too.  “Seriously.  Brilliant.”  He looked back down as he took Angelina’s hand.

Harry looked at the rest of the Weasley’s and guests who were sitting around the room.  There didn’t seem to be a dry eye in the group.  He discreetly wiped his eyes as he flicked his wand and sent the rest of the photos to their owners, and then went and sat back down, as well as the other gifts he had picked up for the others.

“Like I said, he took pictures of random people doing random things.  I don’t know how he pulled off taking some of these shots.”

Hermione opened hers to find a photo of herself, Ron, and Harry, sitting down by the lake, laughing at something.  They looked so carefree and, Harry thought when he first saw it, like what normal teenagers were supposed to look.

Ron’s was a photo of Ron and Harry playing chess in the Gryffindor common room, in what looked to be fifth year.

Ginny’s was taken during her stint as the Gryffindor Seeker, while Harry was banned in fifth year.  She made a sweeping flip, grin wide and hair flapping the wind, just before grabbing the Snitch.

Andromeda opened a photo of Tonks during Harry’s sixth year, when she was guarding the school.  The photo was taken down one of the corridors, students walking around her.  Tonks was walking towards the camera when she seemingly tripped over air, tilting violently forward, before doing a small pirouette and flashing a huge smile at the camera.

Harry watched her face as tears streamed down Andromeda’s face.  She looked up at him, smiling, as she mouthed a “thank you,” at him.  He nodded, eyes filling with tears again.

As Bill opened his and Fleur’s photo, he exclaimed, “This boy was a stalker!” 

Harry couldn’t help but laugh.  “I told you!  I don’t know how he did it!  There were several pictures that were of random witches and wizards in Diagon, so I figure he was just taking pictures randomly.”

Their photo was of them walking down Diagon Alley.  If Harry had to guess, it was taken sometime during the summer that Fleur had worked at Gringott’s.

“Harry, mate, this is brilliant.  We don’t have any photographs of us before our wedding, so this is bloody brilliant.”

“I’m glad you all like them.  There are tons more, too.  I asked Dennis if I could have more, and he told me to take as many as I wanted.  He is going to bring them by next week, so if any of you want to, I’ll let you know when he comes over.”

They exchanged more gifts, and finally it was time for Ron to give Hermione hers.  As Ron _accio’d_ the small box from under the tree, he glanced over at Harry, who just smiled wide and winked at his best mate. 

Cheeks beginning to redden, Ron took a breath and then handed Hermione the box.  “Happy Christmas, love,” he said, quietly.

Hermione gave him a curious look, glancing around the room to see everyone’s eyes on them.  She seemed to blush before averting her eyes back to the gift in her hands, quickly unwrapping it.  She pulled the lid off of it, and gasped loudly.  She reached for Ron’s hand, gripping it tightly as she took in the pendant and chain.

“Oh, Ron!  It’s beautiful!”  She finally looked up at him, leaning forward to kiss him.

Harry could see Ron’s shoulders sag with relief, before he, too, leant into Hermione.  They pulled apart, Ron taking the box out of her hand.  He undid the chain from the packaging, holding it up in order to clasp it around Hermione’s neck.  She pulled her hair up, and as soon as Ron had fastened it, Hermione clutched it with the fingers of her right hand, grabbing Ron’s hand with her left. 

She conjured a mirror, making it float in front of herself so she could see.  She leaned back over to kiss Ron again, before jumping up and standing in front of everyone.

“Isn’t it beautiful?  Oh, Ronald, I love it!”  Molly, Fleur, Angelina, and Ginny had all gathered around her, admiring her gift.

Harry caught Ron’s eye, giving him a knowing smirk.  Ron smiled back, as he turned to look back over at Hermione.

The rest of the evening was spent talking, snacking on the many leftovers, and with Harry giving tours of the house.  Harry could tell that Professor McGonagall was impressed with all that he had done.  He was pleased that he could show her all that he had learned. 

Around 6:00, McGonagall floo’d back to Hogwarts, and as Teddy was beginning to fuss, Andromeda left as well.  Harry went and helped Molly pack up the food—the food that she didn’t insist was to stay with Harry—and helped take it back to the Burrow, while the rest of the Weasley’s packed up the piles of presents they had received.

After saying goodbye to Arthur and Molly, Harry floo’d back to Grimmauld.  As he walked back into the lounge, he saw that Fleur and Bill had apparently left, but George, Angelina, Ginny, Neville, and Percy were still sitting around on the couches.  As he stepped into the room, he saw that Ron and Hermione were quietly talking in the back corner.  When they saw Harry walking towards them, they quickly stopped talking and turned to face him.

“What?”  Harry gave them an inquisitive look as he took in their faces.

“Get everything back to the Burrow?” Ron asked, ignoring Harry’s question.

“Yeah.  Your mum left me a lot of food, though.  I’ll never be able to eat it all myself, so I’m hoping it will keep for the party.”

Hermione smiled at him, looking over as Ginny started laughing at something George had said.

“What were you two talking about as I walked in?”

“Well…” Hermione looked at Ron, who shrugged and then nodded his head, gesturing towards the hallway. 

They walked across the hall, Ron and Hermione sitting on the couch, with Harry sitting in one of the chairs.  Leaning forward so his elbows were on his knees, he nodded towards Hermione to speak.

“Ron was telling me about what you told him earlier.”

Harry had figured as much, but he wasn’t willing to get into it again.  He told them as much.

“Harry, we don’t want you to be angry with us, but I just know you need to talk about it.”

“I know you mean well.  I really do.  But, the only person I _need_ to talk to about it is Malfoy, and that is unlikely to happen, so there’s no need to get into it.  Please, Hermione.”

Hermione sent a look to Ron, which Harry was unable to decipher, before she turned back to Harry and sighing, said, “Very well.”

They sat in silence for a few moments, before Hermione spoke again, saying, “I should probably be going.” 

Ron stood, pulling Hermione to her feet.  The trio walked back into the lounge, where Hermione collected her gifts, said her goodbye’s to everyone, and then Ron walked her to the floo. 

Several minutes later, Ron walked back in, cheeks blazing red.

“She thank you again for the necklace?” George asked with a snicker.

“Shut up,” Ron said, flipping his brother the V’s.

This caused everyone else in the room to cackle.  Harry was trying, and failing, to keep his laughter to himself.  Ron came over to where Harry was sitting, punching him lightly in the arm.

“You, too.”

“You know I’m just happy for you, mate,” Harry said with a smile.

Ron leaned over to whisper, “And you know we just want you to be happy.”

“Ron—”

Ron put his hands up.  “I’m just saying.”  He stood back up, grabbing his things.  “I think I’m going to head back to the Burrow.  I’ll see you?”

“Yeah.”  He stood up, giving Ron a hug.

“Oi, you lot!  Let’s get out of here and let Harry have his house back!” 

Harry laughed as everyone packed up their things.  They said their goodbye’s, hugs and handshakes were passed around, and soon, Harry was alone.  He walked back into the lounge, sat in his recliner, and smiled.  It had been a really good day, even with all of the talk of Draco.

Harry sighed, letting his mind wander as he turned on the telly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Christmas! I hope you all liked the idea of the photos! I've always felt that Dennis would have shown Harry the hundreds of photos that had to have been in Colin's room. I love the idea of it.
> 
> Also, if anyone wants to see what I had in mind for Hermione's pendant, you can go to https://www.flickr.com/gp/nsusweets/790468. It's really hard to put down on paper what is in my head, but it's a decent match!
> 
> Thank you, again, for reading!


	11. Auld Lang Syne

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaaaaaaaaack!
> 
> I AM SO SORRY THAT IT'S BEEN SO LONG! RL has been...yeah. New job, quick promotion, lots more duties with said promotion. It's been a wild ride!
> 
> It doesn't help that I have written and re-written and re-written AND RE-WRITTEN this chapter too many times to count. I finally got to a point where I could actually deem it decent enough to post, so I hope you all like it!
> 
> Hopefully it won't be another 10 months before I post again, but I'm not making any promises.
> 
> ~B.

Harry woke with a start.  At first, he didn't know what woke him.  Confused, he sat up.  Sunlight was pouring in through the windows.  Reaching for his glasses, he noted the time; he’d had a nice lie-in, as it was nearing 10:00am.

As his eyes cleared of sleep, he cast a glance around the room and finally realized what had woken him: there was a large, handsome-looking Horned Owl sitting on the window sill.  Harry quickly jumped up to let the bird in.  The owl hopped further inside, thrusting its leg out for Harry to un-attach its missive.

Opening the letter, Harry was surprised to see that it was from Pansy.  Reading from the top, Harry felt his eyes growing wider and his brow getting higher.

“ _Really_?” He spoke out loud, startling the bird.

“Sorry, mate.  Give me just a second, and I will have a reply for you.”

Harry walked out of the room, going down to the lounge.  He pulled out a piece of parchment, quickly writing an answer back.  He raced back up to where the owl still sat, tying on his response and giving the bird an owl treat that he had found on the desk.

Once the bird had flown away, Harry closed the window and dazedly sat back down on the bed.

He read back over the letter still clutched in his hand, and made a split-second decision. 

He jumped up, quickly pulling on some clothes.  He ran back into the en suite, brushing his teeth and running a comb through his hair.  He stared at his reflection for a moment, smiling at how well his not shaving for the last four days, since Christmas, was producing a very fine beard.

He picked up the letter again, and went down to the floo.  Picking up a bit of powder, he stepped into the fireplace and called out, “The Burrow!”

Stepping out, he quickly took in the empty room.  He walked towards the kitchen, where he heard voices.

“Hello?”

“Harry!  What are you doing here?”  Molly, Harry noted, was once again standing in front of the sink.

“I was looking for Ron.  Is he about?”

“I think he’s up in his room,” Ginny said, from where she was sitting at the table.

“Thanks.”  Harry poked Ginny on the shoulder as he passed her on the way to the stairs, nicking a piece of toast off her plate in the process, too.  He laughed as she swatted at him, so glad that they could be friends and joke around with each other.

Reaching the top landing, Harry quietly knocked on Ron’s bedroom door.

“Go away, Ginny!”

“Er, it’s not Gin,” Harry said with a laugh.

Harry could hear scrambling, and then the door was wrenched open.

“Harry!  What are you doing here?”

“Sorry, am I interrupting something?”  Harry asked, glancing behind Ron to where he could see Hermione sitting on the bed, looking flushed.

“No, you’re fine,” Hermione answered.

Ron ushered Harry inside, closing the door.

Harry went to sit on his old cot, which still sat against the wall across from Ron’s bed.  “Sorry to barge in, but I just received the most bizarre letter from Pansy, and had to tell someone.”

“Parkinson wrote you a letter?  What did it say?”  Ron sat down at the head of his bed, next to Hermione. 

Harry pulled the note out of his pocket, saying, “She was asking if it would be alright if Goyle and Nott came to the party on Thursday.”

“Really?”  Hermione looked bewildered, reaching for the letter.

“Yeah.  Apparently she mentioned the party to Goyle by accident, and he asked if he could come.  Blaise, I guess, said the same to Nott, and he asked, too.”

“What did you say?”

“I told her the more, the merrier.  I never had any issue with Nott, as he basically kept to himself.  Goyle is a different story, but I don’t think it will be a problem.”

“What about…um…Draco?”  Hermione cautiously asked.

Harry sighed, as he wondered the same thing for the thousandth time in the past few days.  “I haven’t heard anything from him.  I…honestly don’t know if I want him to show or not.” 

After a moment of awkward silence, Ron said, “Well, this will definitely be an experience, won’t it?”

“I think it will be fun, no matter who comes.  I invited George and Angelina, and I think Angelina was going to contact Alicia and Katie.  I have a feeling others will just show up, too.  We will just have to wait and see how many come, I guess.”

“How do you feel about having so many people in your house?”

“Actually, I’m really excited.  I’ve always wanted to be able to host a party, and now that I’ve got a place that I can do it in, I can’t wait.”

“Is there anything we need to do before-hand?”

“I’ll need some help with decorating.  I still don’t know exactly where we will set everything up, either.  I have Teddy tonight and most of the day, tomorrow, but would you two be willing to come by and help me out Thursday, during the day?”

“We’ll be there, mate,” Ron said with a smile.

“Great, thanks.  I guess I’d better get back,” Harry said, standing up.

“Do you want to stay for lunch?”

“No, thanks.  Andromeda is supposed to be dropping Teddy off in a couple of hours, and I want to get started on another room, so I'd best get back.”

“We’ll see you later, then,” Hermione said.

“See you.”

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

“Okay, so you have plenty of diapers.  His food and things are in here, as well as the potion for his teething.  Just put about four drops in the bottle that you give him before bedtime.  He can’t sleep without his lion, so that is there, too.  I think that’s everything.  I hope that’s everything.”

“Andy, we’ll be fine, I promise.  You just go and have a bit of a break, yeah?”

“Alright, I’m going.  Thank you so much for doing this, Harry.  I don’t know what we’d do without you.”

Andromeda passed Teddy to Harry, giving them both hugs, and Teddy a kiss on his head.  It took a bit more cajoling, but soon, she floo’d away, leaving Harry and Teddy alone.

“Well, Teddy Bear, think we can handle one night?  Huh?”  Harry kissed his godson’s head as the baby started grabbing for Harry’s glasses and hair, babbling.

Stepping out into the hall, Harry flicked his wand, sending the many bags that Andromeda had brought up to Teddy’s room as he walked across to the lounge.  He pulled the soft blanket that Andromeda had given him for Christmas off of the back of the couch, sitting down in the recliner.

He lifted the foot up, settling down into the seat and tossing the blanket over his lap.  Harry held Teddy up so that he was standing on Harry’s thighs, gripping Harry’s fingers.

“What do you want to do first, huh?”  Teddy started bouncing, talking nonsense.  “You are going to start walking soon, aren’t you?  Your gran isn’t going to know what to do once that happens.  And talk, too.  We’re all going to be in trouble, aren’t we?  Huh?  Can you say Uncle Harry?  Uncle Harry?”

Harry was so focused on Teddy, that he didn’t hear the floo.  He was bouncing Teddy when he heard a quiet, “Hello?”

“We’re across the hall!” Harry called back.  He could hear footsteps coming towards them, so he said, “Andy, I told you, we will be fine! Did you forget someth—”

Harry stopped talking as he suddenly felt a tingle on the back of his neck.  He slowly looked up to see that it wasn’t Andromeda that was standing in the doorway, but a nervous looking Draco.  Draco quickly glanced around the room before his eyes landed fully on Harry.

“Hi.”

“…Hello.”  Harry slowly lowered the foot of the chair, placing the blanket in the seat as he stood, perching Teddy on his hip.  He stepped around the recliner, so that there were a couple more steps between him and Draco.

Standing there, Harry quickly took in the man before him.  Draco had dark circles under his eyes.  He looked even paler than usual, and his eyes held no light in them.  He was wearing a white button-up shirt and the jeans that Harry had convinced him to purchase.  Harry wanted to hex himself when his insides began to squirm with desire.

They both stood there staring at one another until, after several long moments of silence, Harry couldn’t take it anymore.  He cleared his throat, hesitantly asking, “What are you doing here?”

Draco seemed to flinch as he looked at the ground.  He took a breath, slowly looking up at Harry’s face.  “Can we talk?”

 _Oh, now he wants to talk?_ Harry’s anger started rising as he spat, “I have nothing to say to you.”

“Harry, let me explain, please.”  Draco had stepped into the room, raising his hands into what Harry could instantly see as a begging stance.

Harry could see the pained look on Draco’s face, but his own anger and hurt was in the forefront of his mind as he said, “Explain what?  You were quite unwilling to explain anything the last time I saw you, so what could have changed since then?”

Teddy seemed to sense Harry’s unease because he started whimpering, clutching onto Harry’s shirt.

“It’s okay, Ted.  Shhh, it’s okay.”  Harry started bouncing Teddy, trying to calm the boy and himself down at the same time.

“Please, just let me explain, and then I will leave.  I…I wanted to come back as soon as I left, but…”

Harry’s anger loosened the tiniest bit as he had a flash-back of Ron saying something similar to that nearly a year ago. 

Teddy was still fussing, though, so thinking fast, Harry started walking towards the door.  Draco moved aside as Harry walked past him.  He didn’t say anything to Draco, but as he ascended the stairs, he knew the other man was following.

Setting Teddy down in the middle of his room, Harry pulled out a few of the toys that Andromeda had packed and set them on the floor in front of Teddy.  He cast a spell that Molly had taught him that created an invisible barrier around Teddy; he could crawl around inside of the walls, but he couldn’t get into anything outside of it.

Making sure Teddy was okay, Harry turned back.  Draco stood in the middle of the doorframe, hands in the pockets of his jeans, looking at Harry.  He stepped back, allowing Harry to follow him out onto the landing.

Harry leaned against the wall beside the door so he could still look in on Teddy.  Crossing his arms, he said gruffly, “Fine, talk.”

Draco rubbed his face, causing strands of his pristine hair to fall into his eyes.  Tossing the hair away, he looked up at Harry.  “I’m sorry.”

Harry was proud of himself for not showing any emotion at the statement. 

Realising Harry wasn’t going to say anything, Draco continued.  “I’m sorry.  Harry, please believe me.  I didn’t mean to say what I did.  It’s just, I… I don’t even have a decent excuse...”

Harry, while keeping a straight face, tightened his grip on his own arms and stood up a bit straighter as Draco continued.

“My mother did not keep her promise, and wrote to my father.

“I had been out all day with Pansy and Blaise, so when I got home and she told me, I was absolutely furious.  The first place I could think of was here.  I’m sorry about that, just crawling into your bed.  I just…  I just needed to be near you,” he whispered.

As he was speaking, Draco began pacing up and down the hall, his hands sliding through his hair in a continuous manner.

“When we woke, and Kreacher came in and said my mother was in the fireplace, I knew right then that there was response from my father.  Of bloody course, as soon as I got downstairs, she handed me the letter and then closed the connection.”

Harry dropped his arms to his side as he saw the sad look on Draco’s face.  _Shit._   Of course Lucius would have something to say about his and Draco’s relationship.

“His first comment was to remind me that I was to marry and provide an heir so that the Malfoy name would not die with me.  He next informed me that he could arrange an open marriage, so that I could still keep ‘another on the side.’”  He sneered as he used air quotes.  “Then, he went on to say that while he did not approve of my lifestyle, he did want to congratulate me on getting on your good side, as being seen with you would help bring back the Malfoy name into good standing with the public.”  Draco glared at the floor as he spoke.

Harry’s eyes never left Draco, as the blond continued to pace. 

“I couldn’t even speak I was so angry.  How dare he think he can still choose my future when he is locked in a cell in Azkaban for the rest of his?  Despite that fact, I’m only eighteen!  And gay!  I don't… I just… I lost it, which is the only explanation I have as to why I jumped you upon coming back upstairs.”

By this time, Draco’s hair was standing on end from running his fingers through it, and his cheeks were red with anger.

“I’m so sorry, Harry.”

Draco had finally stopped pacing and leaned against the wall across from Harry..

Harry looked into the steel grey eyes, not knowing what to say.  He looked at the floor, trying to wrap his mind around what he’d just been told.  After several long minutes, Harry looked up at Draco, took a step away from the wall and said, “Why could you not have told me all of this that morning, instead of just running away?”

Draco “Harry, I—”

“No, seriously, Draco.  Do you not think I would have understood what you were going through if you had told me?  I have been wracking my brain for nearly two weeks, trying to figure out what in the hell I had done wrong for you to have said those things to me.  I couldn’t fathom what was going on, because you didn’t talk to me!”

Harry started pacing, copying the tracks that Draco had set into the carpet.

“I thought we were getting to know each other!  We were telling each other things about our childhoods and I felt like I was learning about the real Draco Malfoy.  How foolish of me to think that.  No, I once again saw the cold features of the git I’ve known since I was eleven cover your face, and vile words spew from the lips that not ten minutes before were moving against mine.”

“Harry, please—”

“Please, what, Draco?”  Harry stopped pacing, turning to stand against the wall again.  He glanced in on Teddy quickly, then turned back to Draco.  “Please, what?”

“I…” Draco stared at Harry, mouth open as if he was going to say something, but after a few moments, he just closed his mouth, and, sighing, looked down at the floor.  “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“So you keep saying,” Harry muttered.

Draco looked up, eyes wide.  “Harry…”

“Draco, I can’t do this right now.  I have to get Teddy fed and I need to prepare for the party.  I—I just—”

Draco nodded, still looking at the floor.  “I understand.  I’ll just go, then.”  He ran his fingers through his hair, again, and turned to the staircase.

Harry watched as Draco started towards the stairs back down to the floo.  He felt his stomach clench as he watched Draco walk away from hm, again.  Surprising himself, he suddenly lurched off the wall and quickly walked towards Draco.

“Just—just let me sleep on all that you’ve told me, okay?  I’ll see you Thursday, and maybe we can talk some more.”

Draco paused, turning back to Harry.  “Thursday?”

“You are still going to come to the New Year’s Eve party, aren’t you?  Everyone will be there.”

“I…I wasn’t sure if you’d want me to be there.”

“Well, we need to finish this conversation at some point, and I’d prefer to do it sooner, rather than later.  I’m sure we can find someplace to talk.  Besides, I figured you might want to see Nott and Goyle,” he added with a shrug.

Draco gripped the railing.  “Excuse me?”

“Pansy didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“She wrote to me this morning, asking if it would be alright if Nott and Goyle came to the party.”

“And you said yes?”

“Yeah, sure.  What?”

Draco was looking at him like he grown an extra head.  “You just never cease to amaze me, is all.  I’ll—I’ll think about it.  Bye.”  With that, he turned and descended the stairs. 

Harry barely breathed until he heard the floo flare up.  He seemingly melted, sitting down on the top step.  Pulling his knees up, he slowly ran his fingers through his hair.

“Fuck.”  He sighed, thinking over all that Draco had told him.  He was interrupted from his thoughts, though, when Teddy started crying.

Jumping up, Harry quickly stepped back into the room.

“What’s wrong, Ted?”  Harry removed the spell around Teddy and picked him up, getting a whiff of something foul.  “Ah!  Got it.  Come on, let’s get you cleaned up, yeah?”

Harry laid down the sniffling Teddy, casting accio on a nappy.  After Teddy was clean, Harry sat him up.  He stood there playing with his Godson, mind still going mental with thoughts of Draco and their conversation.  Glancing down at his watch, Harry decided on something, and said, “Sod it.  We’re going on a little trip, is that okay with you?  Let’s see, what do you need for a few hours at the Burrow?”

Pulling everything out of one of the bags that Andy had brought, Harry quickly repacked it with several nappies, Teddy’s dinner, a bottle, a toy, and a change of clothes.

Making his way into the sitting room with Teddy perched on his hip, Harry hitched up the bag on his shoulder and grabbed a pinch of floo powder.  Tucking in Teddy’s head like Andromeda had taught him, he called out, “The Burrow!” and they were swept away.

As Harry stepped out, he realized the majority of the Weasley family were sitting in the living room, and were staring at him.

“Er, hi.”

“Harry! I didn't think you were going to be able to join us this evening?” Molly asked, standing up from her seat beside Arthur.

“I wasn't planning on it, but something came up and I really need to talk to Ron and Hermione,” he said, gesturing with his head to the couple that were sitting on the couch.

“Well, you all go chat, and I'll go check on supper.  Do you have Teddy’s, so I can get his ready?”

“Yeah, but I don't want to put you out—”

“Nonsense! Hand him here, and you lot go on.”  She stuck her hands out, taking the baby from Harry’s arms.  Handing  the bag off, Ron and Hermione stood to join him as they walked up the stairs.  Harry heard Molly cooing at Teddy as she went into the kitchen, while the rest of the family started talking again.

As soon as Harry stepped into Ron’s room, he started pacing.

“Harry? What's wrong?”

Harry stopped as both Ron and Hermione stood in the middle of the room staring at him.  Sighing, he ran his fingers through his hair.  “Draco came to see me.”

Ron and Hermione spoke at the same:

“What did you do?”

“What did he say?”

Harry dropped down onto the cot as he repeated all that Draco had told him.  When he finished, he looked up at his friends.

“Oh, Harry.”

“Bloody hell, mate.  What're you going to do?”

“I don't know.  As soon as he left, I came here.” He ran his fingers through his hair, again, resuming his pacing  “Why did I think it could ever work between us?  I mean, this is Malfoy we are talking about.  Malfoy and Potter?  Those names together have always caused people to flinch and look for somewhere to hide, so as not to get in the line of fire.”

“That was before, though,” Hermione said.  “Everything has changed; every _one_ has changed.  I’ll be the first to admit that Draco has changed the most, too.  He has his moments, of course.  We all do.  But he’s not the arrogant, smug, pompous Pureblood that we’ve known since first year.”

“That’s just it, though.  I know he’s changed.  I’ve seen it first hand, even more so than you lot.  I doubt his friends have even seen the Draco that I have gotten to know over the past few months.  He’s so open with me.  Or, well, he was.”  He sat down on the cot against the wall, sighing, before continuing.. 

“But, not even six months ago, I hated him with every fibre of my being.  How is it possible that we have gotten to this point so fast??”  Harry started pacing again.  “No, really.  How is it possible to go from hating someone so much that you literally nearly kill them, to saving each other’s lives on multiple occasions during the next year, then suddenly become friends and then start to fall—”  He stopped himself when he realised what he was about to say.

Hermione, too, realised, and her eyes grew wide.  “Oh, Harry.  Really?”

“I—I don’t know.  Maybe?  Like I said, I’ve gotten to really know him the past few months.  He’s…I don’t even know how to describe it.  I know it’s crazy, and way too fast, but I’ve never felt like this before.”

“You need to tell him that, mate,” Ron said.

“Yeah?  And how do you think that will go?  ‘Oi, Malfoy!  Just wanted to let you know that, even though you gave me an incredible orgasm, and then promptly dumped with me no explanation, I’m still mad for you, and am falling in love with you!’  Ugh.  Why couldn't I have just died when I had the chance? It would've saved me a lot of trouble and heartache.”

Ron and Hermione, who had both blushed when Harry spoke of sex, paled just as quickly when he mentioned death. 

“Bloody hell, mate.”

“What? I'm not allowed to joke about it?” Harry winked at his friends, which caused Hermione to reach over and smack his leg.

Ron rolled his eyes before saying, “Seriously, though, why not?”

“You’ve got to be kidding!”

“Why?  Yes, he dumped you after you… yeah.  But, you still want to be with him, right?  So, just tell it to him straight.  Well, maybe not _straight_.”  He grinned wide at Harry, who in turn reached for the closest pillow and slapped it across Ron’s face.

They all laughed as Ron tossed it back to him.

“Seriously, mate.  You need to talk to him.”

“How is it that you of all people are telling me to get with Malfoy?”

“Trust me, I have no idea.  I didn’t know what to think when he first apologized to me.  When I followed him into the dorm, and I saw his face, I knew that he meant it.  Just the fact that I was the first one that he said sorry to, made me realise that I should give him a chance.

“We’ve had some decent conversations the past couple of months, and I finally have a chess opponent that can beat me!  He has a wicked sense of humour, too.  As does Blaise.  You know, the Slytherin’s aren’t half bad.”

Harry gaped at his best friend, as Ron continued.

“Besides, if he makes you happy, what could be wrong with it?  Sure, it’s Malfoy, and you are bound to fight, but what couple doesn’t?  Hermione and I can attest to that.”

Harry smiled as he thought of all the fights that his best friends had had.

“Thanks, mate.”  Ron nodded at Harry, before looking at Hermione.

Hermione, too, smiled at Ron, before turning back to Harry.  “So, what are you going to do?”

“I honestly have no idea, but we definitely need to have a talk.  Hopefully he will come to the party.”  He sighed as he looked down at his shoes.

After a few moments, he looked back up at his friends and said, “Thanks for listening to me.  I don’t know what I would do without you two.”

“We’ll always be here for you, mate, even when we all have grey hair and get hard of hearing and have to walk around with an ear horn like my great uncle Boris.”

Harry smiled as he stood and gave them both hugs.  “Thanks.”

“Come on.  I bet mum’s got dinner ready by now.  I’m starved!”

“When aren’t you, mate?”

Harry was quick to duck when Ron threw another pillow at him as he walked towards the doorway.  The trio laughed as they made their way down into the kitchen, where the rest of the family was seated around the table.

“Everything okay, dear?” Molly asked as she sat a bowl of potatoes on the table.

“Yeah, just needed to get some things off my chest.”

As they all took their seats, chatter started around the table. 

Harry smiled as he once again took in the large family that he had acquired.  He felt beyond blessed as he watched as Molly took it upon herself to feed Teddy in between her own bites.  He caught her eye, and she just winked at him with a smile as she turned to give Teddy another spoonful.

“So, Harry.  What time do you want us to come by on Thursday?” George asked from across the table.

“I think the majority of everyone is going to start arriving around 8:00, so anytime is fine with me.”

“Brilliant.” 

Harry was happy to see the wide smile on George’s face, and as he looked around the table, he thought everyone else was, too.

Once dinner was done, and everyone had had their fill of pudding, Harry and Teddy took their leave with promises of seeing everyone soon.

Harry gave Teddy a quick bath, and then put him to bed.  Deciding to call it an early night as well, he trudged upstairs and quickly took off his clothes.  Crawling into bed, he found his mind drifting back to his and Draco’s conversation earlier in the day, and the consequent talk with Hermione and Ron.  Harry’s mind flooded with ideas of what to say to Draco, but nothing really conveyed what he wanted to say and how he felt.  With words floating through his head, he fell asleep.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Harry sat straight up in bed, heart pounding and breath coming out in quick pants.  “Fuck!” he exclaimed, willing his body to calm down.  If he was being honest, it'd been a while since he had had a nightmare as bad as that.

He laid back down, rubbing his right hand over his face as his left reached for his glasses on the night stand. Slipping them on, he looked over at the clock to see that it was barely 6:00am.

“Fuck,” he whispered again, as his heart started slowing down to a normal beat.  He laid there, staring at the ceiling, as he brain started reliving the nightmare he’d just awoken from. 

He could still see Draco laying on the front stoop of Grimmauld, blood gushing from the wounds on his chest, just like when Harry had slashed him with the Sectumsempra curse.  As Harry stood over his body, Draco was trying to speak, coughing on the blood that was bubbling from his mouth.  Harry leant over him, trying to pick him up to take him to the hospital wing.  When he had Draco in his arms, he could hear Draco whispering the words, “I thought you loved me…  I thought you loved me…”

As Harry tried to tell Draco, limp in his arms, that he did indeed love him, he was suddenly in the Room of Requirement, Fiendfyre flames all around him.  Turning quickly around, he started running up and down the aisles, avoiding flames and screaming from Ron, Hermione, and Draco.  He knew he had to find the others, get them all out of there.  As he rounded a corner, his eyes let upon Draco who was climbing up the side of a mountain of furniture, trying to get away from the flames.  Harry knew he needed to get to him, to save him, but when he turned away to find the broom that he had ridden before, he heard a terrible scream.  Turning back, he saw, as if in slow-motion, Draco tumble down, calling out for Harry.  Just as he was about to hit the flames, Harry had woken up.

He rubbed his eyes again, willing the sight of Draco falling into the flames to be wiped from his memory. 

He needed to figure out what in the hell he wanted to do about this thing with Draco.  They definitely were going to need to talk some more, and he needed to know how Draco felt about their relationship.  He sighed loudly as he sat up in bed; he knew trying to get back to sleep was moot.

He pulled on the jeans that he wore the day before, and summoned a shirt from the closet.  As he headed down to Teddy’s room, he heard the boy babbling.  Walking in, he wasn’t surprised to see his godson sitting up, playing with his lion.

“Hey, buddy.  Did you sleep well?  Huh?”  He cooed at his godson as he lifted the boy out of the cot and placed him on the changing bureau.  “Such a good baby.  Let’s get you cleaned up and then see about some breakfast, yeah?”

Harry had to admit, he liked having Teddy with him.  As he put him in clean clothes, he wondered idly if Andromeda would allow him to have Teddy for an entire weekend at some point.

Stepping into the kitchen, he saw that Kreacher was already hard at work cooking for the party the next day.  The tons of leftovers that Molly had left at Christmas had been used for several different things, and Harry was pleased that they all looked delicious.

“Morning, Kreacher,” Harry said as he put Teddy in his chair.

“Good morning, Master.  Breakfast for you and your young guest are on the warming tray.”

Harry turned and saw that there was indeed a plate of eggs and bacon for him, and a bottle and small bowl of mashed banana and squash for Teddy.

“Thank you, Kreacher,” Harry said as he placed both dishes on the table and poured himself a cup of hot water for tea.  He sat Teddy in his lap, alternating between feeding himself and Teddy, until both had had their fill.

He cleaned up their mess, moving around Kreacher, who was bustling about the kitchen, mumbling under his breath.

Harry left him to it, taking Teddy and going upstairs to the room of his next project; Ron and Hermione’s guest room.  He sat the boy down on the ground, casting the bubble around him.  He pulled his wand out and started ripping up the carpet. 

He spent the rest of the day doting on Teddy, ripping up the bedroom, and fretting as to what he wanted to say to Draco when the time came.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Before he could really start thinking how he wanted to set things up, Harry heard the floo flare up.  He stepped out into the hall and saw Hermione, Ron, and Ginny step out of the fire.

“Good morning, Harry!” Hermione stepped forward, giving Harry a peck on the cheek.

“Morning!  I wasn’t expecting you all for another couple of hours!”

“Well, mum knew that we were supposed to come help you, so she was adamant that we get here early,” Ron said, with a roll of his eyes and then a wide grin.

“And then she volunteered me to come help, as well,” Ginny said with a smile.

Harry just grinned at the trio before him.  “Great!  I don’t have the first clue as to what to do, so I appreciate all the help I can get.”

Hermione smiled as she pulled a piece of parchment out of her pocket.  “Don’t worry, Harry.  We’ve got this all figured out.” 

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

By the time Harry stepped out of his bedroom, freshly showered and wearing a pair of dark denims and a light grey button-down shirt, he and his friends had decorated Grimmauld, set most of the food up under stasis charms, and he'd figured out what he was going to say to Draco.  He paused a moment at the top of the stairs to take a deep breath, and then started down to the sitting room.

He barely made it to the door when the floo flared up, emitting Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville, one-by-one.

“Happy New Years!”  Harry grinned at his friends.

“Happy New Years, mate!” Ron came over and gave him a clap on the back.  “George will be here in a couple of minutes with the drinks and music.”

“Brilliant.  What are you—”

He was about to ask Hermione a question when the fire flared up, again.  They turned to see who it was and was shocked to see Goyle hesitantly step out.

The Gryffindors stood staring at the burly man for a few moments, before Harry snapped to and stepped forward, extending his hand.

“Goyle—er, Greg?  Glad you could make it.”

“Thanks, Pot—um, Harry.  Am I the first to arrive?”

“Yeah, but I know others will be here any moment.”

As if on cue, the fire lit up once more, just as the doorbell rang.

“See? Make yourself at home; food and music is downstairs, muggle television across the hall, etcetera. I'll go get the door and be right back!”

Harry jogged down the stairs to find Kreacher taking the coats of Blaise, Pansy, and Nott.

“Happy New Year, darling!” Pansy said, coming forward to kiss Harry’s cheek.  He didn't know if he'd ever get used to being this close with the woman, but he realized he didn't mind it.  “We figured we’d just apparate, as Theo’s floo isn't connected.  Is Greg here?  He’s not much a fan of apparition, so he floo’d from mine, while we went to Theo’s. ”

“Welcome! Glad you could make it.” He shook hands with Nott—Theo—and then said, “Yeah, he’s upstairs.  We’ve got food and music in the dining room, the bar is going to be set up in the nook down here, and there is muggle television upstairs.  You can go anywhere in the house, but beware: I’m in the process of demolishing a few rooms on the second and third floors.”

The trio started upstairs just as the doorbell rang again.  Harry spent the next thirty minutes answering the door and welcoming people that came in through the floo.  By the time the clock struck 9:00, there were around thirty people in his house, including several of their former classmates and the entirety of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

“Harry, you did all of this?”  Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet were staring around the lounge in awe.

“Yeah.  I had help with the majority of the rest of the house, but I put this room together.”

“This is brilliant, Harry.  From the stories that I’ve heard of this house, how you were able to make it livable is quite impressive,” Katie said.

“Thanks.  It’s taken awhile, and I’m not even half-way through with it all, but it is definitely coming together.”

“Well, when you get it completed, you should have a house-warming party!”

“Yeah!  That would be fun!” Alicia added.

Harry agreed to think about it, and began walking around, chatting with his guests.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

It was about 10:15 when Draco stepped out of the floo.  He initially didn’t want to come, fearing his presence would cause strife, but he decided that his desire to talk to Harry again overrode the fear.

Stepping into the sitting room, he glanced around and saw that there were only a couple people in the room.  They paid his appearance no mind as they continued to snog, so he stepped quietly out of the room.

He heard voices coming from across the hall, so he walked over and peered in the doorway.  He could see several of his classmates—current and past—sitting around the large room, talking.

He hadn't really gotten the chance to look at the room when he was there two days before, so now he took a moment to admire it.  Harry had done a brilliant job; the room looked elegant, while also seeming wonderfully comfortable.  As he stood there, he could mentally see Harry and himself snuggling on one of the couches, talking, or just enjoying each other's company.

He shook his head, compelling the warmth that had risen in his chest to calm down; he had to convince Harry that he still wanted to be in a relationship before he could imagine things like that. 

He looked around at the people, trying to find the unmistakeable head of his (hopefully still) boyfriend.  As his eyes swept the room, they didn't land on green; they locked on the brown of Hermione’s.  He grimaced slightly, glancing down at the floor as she stared at him; there was no doubt in his mind that Harry had spoken to his best friends about all that had happened.

When he looked back up a second later, however, it was to see a strange look of part anger, part relief, and part understanding all rolled into one on her face.  She lifted her hand by her side, discretely, sending him a small wave and then pointed down with her index finger.

He gently waved back, relief flooding him as he realized she was telling him where Harry was. Mouthing a “thank you” towards her with a nod, he turned and moved towards the stairs.

He was half-way down the stairs when he heard a loud laugh coming from the dining room.  He paused a moment as he took in the sound; he would know Harry’s laugh anywhere.  If he wanted to admit it to himself, he had always loved Harry’s laugh.  It was a deep, guttural sound, seemingly emitting from the man’s very soul.

The best part of Harry’s laugh, though, was the look on his face.  Draco could remember the first time he saw Harry’s face when he was laughing; it was first year, in the Great Hall, during some feast.  He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but yes, he had watched Harry across the Hall just as often as Harry had watched him.  He could remember hearing this sound, echoing across the hall.  He looked over and saw Harry, head leant back, mouth wide open, laughing at something one of his friends said.  He leaned back over, huge smile on his face as he continued chuckling.

As the years passed, he sometimes wished Harry would smile at him like that.  All he ever received were glares and hatefully spewed words, though.  Which, to be fair, he delivered back with equal gusto.  That was just the way it was until one day, just a few months ago, all of his dreams came true; he and Harry had started a friendship.  And then, more.  Now, however…

Draco started down the stairs again, even more sure of what he needed to do tonight.  He paused again at the bottom of the steps, however, when he realized that the portrait of his great-aunt was visible, seemingly screaming words to anyone that walked past, but entirely silent.  He smiled to himself, impressed with whoever had finally managed to shut her up.

His steps faltered as he walked down the hallway.  He saw George Weasley standing at a makeshift bar, pouring drinks for Dean and Seamus. 

He glanced up as Draco walked towards them.  Seamus turned when he saw George look, and yelled, “Malfoy! ‘Bout time ya show’d up!”

Draco stepped up next to Seamus as he tipped his glass up at Draco.  “Ya need to get caught up, mate!” he said jubilantly, before tipping his head back and swallowing the firewhiskey in one go.

“How many have you had, Finnegan?”

“Dunno, do’n care!”

Draco just shook his head with a small smile. He looked over at Weasley, who was staring at him with a slight glare, before he turned and looked at Dean.  “I'm looking for Harry.  Do you know where he is?”

“He’s in there,” he said, nodding towards the dining room.  “I think he is talking with Wood and Zabini.”

“Thanks,” Draco said, nodding towards the men and then turning towards the doorway.  Peering into the room, he could see several more of their classmates, as well as several people that he recognized, but didn’t personally know.  Glancing around fully, he saw Pansy standing with Theo and Greg, talking.  Harry had told him they would be there, but he still found he didn’t believe it possible.  Shaking his head, he looked for Harry.  He found him across the room; he was indeed in the midst of a conversation with Blaise and Oliver Wood.  His breath caught in his throat when he saw Wood put his arm around Harry and whisper something in his ear.  Harry smiled at him, but carefully maneuvered his way out from inside Wood’s arm, turning to tell Blaise something, laughing.  Draco let his breath release, and stepped completely into the room.  Almost as soon as he crossed the threshold, he saw Harry stiffen.

Wood noticed Harry’s change, and went to wrap his arm around him again, but Harry pushed the arm away and turned slowly to face Draco.  Wood followed Harry’s eyes, and upon seeing Draco, asked, “What the hell is he doing here?”

Draco couldn’t read Harry’s face as they looked at each other, but his heart leapt when Harry turned his head and said, “He is here as my guest.”

Harry nodded at Blaise and then moved across the room towards Draco, eyes raking down Draco’s front.  Stopping in front of him, Harry gave him another once over—making Draco shiver slightly—before looking him in the eye and asking, “Can we talk?”

Draco nodded, stomach squeezing tight when Harry took his wrist and walked them out of the room.  He could feel the eyes of everyone in the room watching them, but he didn’t care.  As they passed by the bar, George called out to Harry.  He paused and saw that George was pushing two glasses of firewhiskey at them.

“Thanks, mate,” Harry said, grabbing the glasses.  He handed one to Draco and then motioned for him to follow him down to the kitchen.

Draco hesitated for a split second as Harry entered the bright, clean room.  He took a breath, and moved to sit across from Harry at the table.

They stared at each other for long moments.   Draco watched as Harry’s adams apple moved as he took a gulp of the firewhiskey.  He tried to think of something to say in order to defuse the tension in the room, but he couldn’t think of where to start.  He took a sip of his own drink, hoping that it would loosen his vocal cords, but they continued to sit there in silence.

After what felt like hours, but was probably only around three minutes, Harry finally started talking.

“I’ve thought a lot about what you told me the other day.  I—I told Ron and Hermione.  I’m sorry, but I needed to talk to someone about this, and you know there are no secrets between the three of us.  I’m sure you would rather I—“

“Honestly, I assumed you would,” Draco interrupted.  “And when I saw Hermione upstairs, my suspicions were confirmed.”

Harry’s eyes widened.  “Oh, no.  What did she do?  What did she say?”

“No, no, she didn’t say anything.  I just saw the anger in her eyes when she looked at me.  But, she… She told me where you were, so…”

“I’m glad you came tonight, Draco.  I have—we need to talk more about what this is.  What we are.”

“I know.  Harry, I—”

“No, It’s my turn to talk,” Harry said, standing up.  Draco’s eyes followed Harry as he stepped around the table to stand beside Draco’s chair.  Draco’s stomach clenched as he saw the determination in Harry’s eyes.  He sighed as he nodded for Harry to continue.

“You dumped a lot of information on me, Tuesday.  While I still wish you had told me everything when it happened, now that I’ve had a bit of time to think about it, I guess I kind of understand why you didn’t.  I’m sorry I got angry.”

Draco looked down at the table as he whispered, “I deserved much more than that.”

Harry paused, causing Draco to look up at him.  “No, you didn’t,” Harry whispered back.

Draco looked back down at the table as Harry moved to stand against the island in the middle of the room.

Both were quiet for a few more moments.  Draco heard Harry sigh and shuffle his feet.  Taking a breath, Draco turned in his chair so that he was facing Harry.  He waited for Harry to continue.

“Like I said, I’ve thought a lot about it, and… And while I understand why you didn’t tell me all that was going on, I still wish you had.  I want to know you—all of you.  The good and the bad.  I know how much your family means to you, though, and I don’t want to get in the way of what is expected of you and your future.”

“Harry, I—”  Draco felt his insides twist as Harry continued.

“No, please let me finish.  Draco, I have known you for eight years.  For seven of those, I thought you were a complete bastard.  You made my life miserable, and we literally tried to kill each other.  But then, something happened when you didn’t tell your family that it was me at the Manor.  I think that maybe that was when I started to see you differently.

“Then, the Battle happened.  The Room of Requirement happened.  Yes, you were still a bastard, but looking back, I understand a bit more why you did what you did.  I wish I could change what transpired that night, but I suppose if things were different, we wouldn’t be here, now.”

Draco stood, leaning back against the table.  He desperately wanted to touch Harry, but he knew Harry needed to be the one to make the first move towards touching.  He gripped the table as Harry continued.

“That night, everything changed for me.  Literally, I died.  After that, nothing really mattered.  I honestly don’t even know how I got through the summer.  Every day, there was some reporter asking questions, or Kingsley owling me about joining the Auror’s, and then I had to sit through the trials.”

Draco stared at the ground at the mention of the trials.  If he was being honest, he had been absolutely flabbergasted that Harry had spoken for him and his mother.  He believed that the man in front of him was the only reason he wasn’t currently being held in a cell in Azkaban.

“When I saw you that day in Diagon, I knew I needed to give you back your wand back.  And I’m so glad I did, because if I hadn’t, we wouldn’t have gotten to this point.  I’m glad we became friends.  I’ve really gotten to know the real Draco, and not that pompous arsehole I thought I’d knew since I was eleven.

“And, I’m even more glad that I could call you my boyfriend, if even for just a couple weeks.  When you kissed me back…I felt like I was flying higher than I could ever get on a broom.  I felt as if I had finally found my place in this world.  But, I don’t want to be the only one in this.”

“You’re no—”  Draco stood and moved towards Harry, but Harry just lifted his hand to stop him.  Draco paused, but then stepped forward until he was in front of Harry.

“You’re not the only one in this, Harry.  I… I was afraid I was the only one that really wanted this.”

“What—how—why would you think that?”

“Because you’re Harry Potter!” 

“And you’re Draco Malfoy.  I’m glad we know each other’s names.  What’s your point?”

Draco rolled his eyes.  “Don’t patronize me, Potter,” he said with a small smile. 

“I wouldn’t dream of it.  I still don’t understand what you are saying, though.”

Draco sighed quietly, before squaring his shoulders and looking Harry in the eye.  “You are Harry Potter: the chosen one; the boy who lived, the saviour of the wizarding world.”

Harry physically flinched as Draco read off the ridiculous titles.

Draco went on.  “I am Draco Malfoy: Death Eater; the tainted one; the boy who chose the wrong path.”  Draco looked at the floor, eyes closed, as he tried to rein in the tears that were threatening to fall. 

There was a moment of silence before Harry took a step toward Draco.

“Again I say, what’s your point?” he asked, barely above a whisper.

Draco paused a moment before he just started rambling.  “What’s going to happen when one day, you wake up and decide that I’m not worth your time anymore. Or once the press gets word of our relationship and writes stories about how I've got to be using Imperius on you, or drugging you, or something.    I’m scared that our pasts are going to hinder our future.  I’m scared that I’m falling way too hard, _way_ too fast, and I’m going to land flat on my face.  I don’t want to be the reason you get even more bad press.”  He took a breath, and then flushed as he realized what he had just said.

Harry was shaking his head, trying to get Draco to look at him, when _he_ realized what Draco had said.  “Dra—wait, really?”

Draco swallowed hard before looking into Harry’s eyes.  He nodded slowly, cheeks pinking more.

“Oh, Draco.”  Harry took the final step that separated the two men.  “I’m falling, too.”

Draco started to interrupt, but Harry spoke over him.  “I am.  When you left me, sitting on my bed, I was hurt more than angry.”

“I’m sor—”

“Don’t,” Harry said, raising his hand to cup Draco’s face.

Draco nearly melted when Harry touched him.  He didn’t want to think about how touch-starved he was, but he knew that no one would ever make him feel as _much_ as Harry did with just one touch.

“Please, Draco.  I want this.  I want this with you.”

“I want this, too.  I’m sorry about everything.  I’ve written my father back.  I—I don’t want to talk about that right now, though.  I’ll fill you in later.  Just, can we…”

“Yes.  Yes.  You know what I realized yesterday?  We haven't even been out on a proper date.”

Draco cocked his head and thought about it.  “You’re right.  We will definitely have to change that.”

The grin that cropped up on Harry’s face took Draco’s breath away.  Draco cautiously shifted, settling his hands on Harry’s hips.  “What now?” 

Harry wrapped his arm around Draco’s waist.  “This,” he said.

They both leaned in, eyes gently closing, lips a hair-breadth away from each other, when there was a loud bang on the door. 

They leapt apart at the sound of the bang.

“Oi!  Have you two kissed and made up, yet?  There’s only twenty minutes until midnight and we need to get to the champagne out of the fidgermarator!”

They looked at each other a moment before Harry smiled, rolling his eyes.

The leant back into each other, lips finally touching in a searing kiss.  Harry’s left arm clutched at Draco’s hip, while his right hand wrapped around the back of Draco’s head, tugging lightly on the blond strands of hair on his nape.  Harry opened his mouth in a moan, letting Draco slide his tongue in. 

Draco moved his left hand up to grip Harry’s shoulder, trying to get closer. 

There was another bang at the door.  They could hear Ron talking to someone else.

Harry huffed, causing Draco to let out a quiet chuckle.  Draco slid his hand down the outside of Harry’s right arm, before gripping it and tugging Harry’s wand out of its holder and flicked it at the door, letting it swing open.  Harry reached around Draco’s waist to where his wand was sitting in its holder on his belt.  Pulling it out, and with a swish of his arm, the refrigerator door opened, and the several cases of champagne came flying out.

As the door swung completely open, the two men released their lips and gently pressed the foreheads together.  They both heard a groan from Ron as he stepped into the room and saw them, before he yelped as the bottles came flying at him.

“Get a room, you two!”

“We had one until we were so rudely interrupted,” Draco said, turning his head to look at the doorway.  His eyes widened when he realized it wasn’t just Ron who was watching them.

Harry turned to glare at his best friend at the same time, and gave the same reaction that Draco did.

Ron, Hermione, Blaise, and Pansy were all standing in the doorway.

“Thank Salazar,” Blaise said.  “It’s about damn time you two got your act together.”  He moved past the girls to help Ron gather the champagne.  “Now, seriously, there’s only a few minutes until midnight, and our dear host is supposed to say a few words to his guests.”

“Wait, I am?”  They each handed the other their wands, and stowed them away.  Draco went to step away, but Harry grabbed his hand, pulling him close.

“Of course you are, darling.  The host always says his thanks to his guests, and wishes them a happy new year, as everyone gets their drinks.  Now, come on!”  Pansy reached out and grabbed Harry’s free arm, pulling him up the stairs.  Draco followed in their wake, hand still glued to Harry’s.

As they reached the top of the kitchen stairs, Draco heard Ron and Blaise whispering behind them.

“Did you see them use each other’s wands?”

“Yeah! What's with that? I thought that could only happen with—”

Draco didn't hear the end of their conversation, as at that moment they had all walked back into the dining room where everyone in attendance had gathered.

“Harry! There you are! I was wondering if you’d like to stand…” Wood, who had pushed through the crowd to talk to Harry, faded off as he took in Harry with his fingers laced through Draco’s.

Draco, looking at the look of disgust that was crossing Wood’s face, tried to remove his hand from Harry’s, but he just gripped Draco’s hand tighter and pulled him closer to Harry’s side.

“Hmm? What were you saying, Oliver?”

Wood just grumbled something under his breath, and swiftly turned away from them. 

Harry tilted his head slightly, watching as the man walked away, but turned to smile at Draco with a shake of his head. He then turned back to the crowd and started speaking.

“Well! I was just informed I'm supposed to give a speech of good tidings or something, so here goes! Thank you all so much for coming over tonight. It's been wonderful to get to speak with you all and find out what everyone's been up to. 

“I know there's a saying that whoever you spend New Year’s with, are the people who will be in your life throughout the year.  If that's the case,” he said gripping Draco’s hand harder, “then I’m glad I'll be with all of you, and I can't wait to see what kind of mischief we’ll be able to get into in the next 12 months!”

There was a wave of laughter as the group looked around at the people around them.

“Now, as we only have a few minutes to midnight, everyone grab a glass of champagne and follow me!”

Harry took a glass, passed it to Draco, and then took one for himself before pulling Draco with him out of the room.

 

                                                                                                             ~*~*~*~*~                                  

 

Harry felt lighter than air as he lead the group of his friends up the stairs.  Draco had come back, _apologized_ , and then basically told Harry he was falling in love with him.  He couldn’t believe it. 

And now he was leading him, and their friends, to Harry’s new favorite spot.  He was proud of himself for keeping this mostly to himself, and knew this was the perfect opportunity to share.

He gripped Draco’s hand as they passed his bedroom and opened the door to the attic.  He turned to smile at Draco, noticing the confused look on his, Ron’s, and Hermione’s faces, who were in front of te group.

“Harry, where are we—”  Hermione tugged at his arm, but he just held up his hand, making her pause.

Waiting until everyone had gathered in the dusty attic, Harry finally released Draco’s hand in order to stand up on a crate to address the group.

“As you all know, I’ve been renovating this place.  Awhile back, I was putting some furniture up here in the attic, and came across something.”

He walked over to what seemingly was a blank wall.  Pulling out his wand, he tapped it thrice, and a door appeared.  He turned back to see Hermione and Ron’s identical wide eyes.

He opened the door, and then beckoned for them to follow him up a small staircase that led out onto a roof terrace.  He stepped back and with another wave of his wand, fairie lights were lit, causing the group to see a large space with high brick walls.  It was kind of bare, as Harry hadn’t really been able to work a whole lot up there, but he hoped that by the summer it would be a proper place.

“What do you think?” he asked quietly to Ron, Hermione, Draco, and George, who were the ones closest to him.

“This is bloody brilliant, mate!” Ron exclaimed.

Hermione turned to him and asked, “However did you find this?”

“By complete accident, actually.  Like I said, I was putting some furniture up here, and I guess I accidentally cast a revealing charm and the door appeared.  I scanned it for any charms or curses, but, not finding anything, I opened it and discovered this.  It was completely overrun with weeds and trees and even a couple of pixies, but I’ve been cleaning it up when I get the chance.  Professor McGonagall helped me strengthen the temperature charm last week at Christmas, so that’s why it’s not cold.”

Seamus and Dean came up and told him how wicked it was, what with the brilliant view of London.

Harry cast a tempus charm and saw that there was only about a minute until midnight.  He raised he glass and said, “Again, thank you all for coming tonight.  This past year is one no one in this place will forget anytime soon.  May we all remember our past, but live for our future.”

Everyone raised their glasses, toasting each other, and then started counting down from ten.

“Ten!  Nine!  Eight!  Seven!  Six!  Five!”

Harry stepped up to Draco, clinking their glasses together.  “To our future?”

Draco smiled, blushing slightly as he nodded his head, and as everyone yelled “One!” they swallowed their champagne and leant in for a kiss, not caring that it was the first time they had truly kissed in front of their friends.

A loud boom echoed around them, and they all turned to see muggle fireworks lighting up the sky in all directions.   Harry felt his stomach flip as Draco wrapped his arms around Harry's waist.  Looking over, he couldn't help the wide smile filling his face as his eyes met Draco’s.

“Well, it’s about time that _that_ happened!”

They turned to see everyone looking at them.  Harry could see Ginny grinning and rolling her eyes, so he knew that it was her that had spoken.  He felt warmth fill him at the thought of her support.

“Seriously.  I can’t believe it took them this long,” Seamus said.

“Blimey, they even dressed to match each other,” Neville added.

Draco and Harry turned to look at each other, only to realize that, yes they were dressed like each other; They were both wearing dark denims, and where Harry was wearing a grey button up shirt, matching Draco’s eyes, Draco was wearing an emerald button up shirt, matching Harry’s eyes.

They both grinned as Harry turned back and said, “Sod off, all of you!” Harry rolled his eyes as he looked back at Draco, who was flipping the V’s to Blaise and Pansy, who were smirking at them.

Kreacher appeared with more bottles of champagne, refilling glasses.  Everyone began mingling around the terrace, some moving towards the edges to see the streets below.

Harry glanced around and saw Ron and Hermione talking with Blaise, who had his arm wrapped around Luna, Pansy, Theo, and Greg.  He started towards them, manuevering Draco with him.

As they stepped up to the group, Draco broke away from Harry and moved toward Greg and Theo.  He watched as Draco paused a brief moment before gently smiling at the men, and shaking their hands.  The three stepped away from the rest, and started talking. 

“I’m so happy for you, Harry,” Luna said, causing Harry to snap out of staring at his boyfriend.  “I always thought you and Draco would make a lovey couple.”

“That makes one of us,” Harry said with a smile.

The group chatted awhile longer, being joined once again by Draco, Theo, and Greg. 

After a few minutes of joking around, Draco squeezed Harry’s hand and then moved around the circle to stand between Hermione and Ron, whispering something to them.  They both nodded and turned to step off to the side of the terrace.

Harry was so curious as to what was going on with them, that he didn't notice that Pansy and Blaise were the only two people that were still standing by him until Blaise nudged him in the side.

“Wha—oh, hey. Do you know what that's all about?” Harry asked, nodding towards the trio.

“Not entirely, but I figure it's an apology for whatever the hell he did to you.”

“What?”

“Darling, its plain to see to anyone that has eyes, that whatever our dear friend did, made you distraught.  You were not yourself until he walked in this evening.  And we all know that you three have no hidden secrets from each other, so I assume he is apologizing to them for creating trouble, and giving a promise that if he hurts you again, they have permission to do _unforgivable_ things to him, if you catch my drift,” Pansy said.

Harry looked back over at his boyfriend and best friends, and saw how much paler Draco looked, and how he was staring at the ground, as he spoke.

He turned back to Blaise and Pansy and said, “And I give you two permission to do the same to me.”

“Good. I'm glad we’re all on the same page,” Blaise said with a smirk.  “And tell us if he ever does something stupid like that again. I'd love to be able to knock some sense into that blond head of his!”

Harry grinned at Blaise, before he looked back over and saw Draco give Hermione a hug, and shake Ron’s hand, before all three of them came towards him.

“Everything alright?” Harry asked as Draco stepped between Harry and Blaise.

“We’ve come to an understanding, is all,” Ron said, closing the circle.

“As have we,” Blaise said, nodding towards Harry. 

Draco looked from his best friend to Harry and smirked.  “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.  However, you four will soon realize that it’s inevitable that we will fight. We’re Potter and Malfoy, after all.  But, I’ve heard it said that making up is the best part.”  He looked over at Draco with heated eyes, and was dazed to see the same looking back at him.  Draco leant in for a lingering kiss.

Pulling back, he said, “Indeed.”

“And that’s our cue, I think,” Ron said.  Hermione laughed but agreed, quickly giving Harry and Draco hugs and then turning to say goodbyes to their friends.  Ron shook Draco’s hand again, leaning in to whisper something in his ear.  Draco nodded with a smile.  Ron went over to Hermione, taking her hand, before descending down to floo back to the Burrow.

Soon, more people began leaving, helping drunk friends make their way home.  Harry stood in the hallway, wishing his guests a good night and happy new year as they either floo’d or left through the front door to apparate. 

It was around 2 o’clock when Harry and Draco were finally alone again.

“Are you staying?” Harry asked, motioning behind him up the stairs.

“I want to, more than anything,” Draco said, gripping Harry’s hand.

Harry’s heart rate picked up as they stood on the landing.  He released Draco’s left hand, curling his own around the nape of Draco’s head, pulling him into a kiss.  Harry started backing Draco into the doorway to the lounge.  He pushed Draco up against the wall just beside the doorway, slipping his tongue into Draco’s mouth.

Draco moaned as Harry pushed his hips into Draco’s, grinding slowly against him.  Harry could feel himself stiffening already.  Before he could do much more, though, Draco released Harry’s lips, looking dazed.  Harry leant back in, but Draco pushed against his shoulder, stopping him. 

“No, I can’t.”

“What?” Harry stopped, a cold dread pouring over him, feeling himself deflate quickly.

Draco apparently saw the look in his eyes because he quickly kissed Harry again.  “No, Harry!  I want to.  Gods, do I want to.  But I have plans with Weasley in the morning, so it would be wise of me to actually go home and _sleep_ ,” he said with a smirk.

Harry gave him a curious look.  “Plans?  Plans with _Ron_ Weasley? You? Wait, what?”

Draco chuckled as he swept a few locks of Harry’s hair off his face.  “I would give you more details, but you’ll find out soon enough.  I should go.”

They walked across the hall into the sitting room.  Harry pulled the bowl of powder down from the mantle, holding it out for Draco. 

Draco moved the hand with the bowl to the side, stepping up against Harry and pulling him in close for a lingering kiss.  Harry nearly let go of the bowl, but was able to hold it steady as his other arm wrapped around Draco’s waist.

Pulling back after several moments, Draco leaned his forehead against Harry’s, before rubbing his cheek against Harry’s prickly cheek.  “Merlin, the things you do to me, Potter.”  He physically shivered, kissing Harry’s neck.  “I want to say, though… Thank you,” he whispered in Harry’s ear.

“For what?”

He pulled back, looking into Harry’s eyes.  “For everything.  We still need to talk about a lot of things, but I am so happy that I am still allowed to do this,” he said pecking a kiss on Harry’s lips.  “I will see you in a few hours.  Get some sleep—you won’t be getting any tomorrow if I have my way.”

Harry felt his belly fill with warmth at the warning.  “Is that so?”

Draco hummed as he kissed Harry once more before grabbing a pinch of powder and stepping into the fireplace.  “See you later,” he said with a sweet smile, before swishing away in green flames.

Harry replaced the bowl and then leaned against the side of the fireplace, his mind whirring.  Godric, he had it bad for that man.  Willing his newly awakened erection to go away, he left the room, and made his way back up to his room.

He stripped out of his clothes, slipping into his chilled bed in only his pants.  Things were looking up again, and he was going to see his boyfriend again in just a few hours.  With thoughts of Draco, Harry fell asleep ready to welcome the new year in right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh? Any good?
> 
> I appreciate any comments and Kudos! Makes my day!
> 
> I can now be found Tumblr-- https://hedwig4evr.tumblr.com/ 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading!!


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